Fight or Flight?
by heroherondaletotherescue
Summary: When your world is turned upside down, and everything you ever thought was impossible, is now possible, what do you do? Do you run and hide, or do you stand up and fight for those who can't protect themselves? Sophia Lang learned quite quickly that in this new world, the real question was, fight or flight? / Disclaimer inside. / Barry/OC. COMPLETE.
1. Sophia Lang

CHAPTER ONE

 **Present Day** – 11TH Dec, 2013. _(aka Day of the explosion of the Particle Accelerator.)_.

It was just another day at Central City Hospital for Sophia Lang. She was covering a night shift for a friend who was out of town. Usually she wouldn't mind- in fact she would welcome it because of her weird sleeping habits, but today was one of those days where she did mind. Tonight was the night the Particle Accelerator was being turned on.

Growing up as a bit of a science geek she couldn't help but anticipate the opening. Okay, who was she kidding, she was the biggest sci-fi fanatic there ever was. She used to watch Star Trek every night before bed with her dad instead of reading children's books, always fascinated by the amazing technology they had. And so she wanted to be there in person to witness what could be one of the greatest scientific advancements of her time, _but_ she figured she'd just have to do it from the staff room window instead of in a front row seat filled with reporters and other huge scientific names. The success of the accelerator would mean new developments for all aspects of Science and technology. She wondered how it would affect the health system- would it hold the cure for cancer? She doubted it, but there was no telling what the accelerator would bring. Just imaging the sort of medical break throughs that would arise had her eagerly wanting to see it… too bad she would be working in the emergency room all through the night and into the early hours of the morning.

She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and sent a good luck text to her neighbour Caitlin, who worked at Star Labs. Caitlin had been excited for this moment for god knows how long, and she was sad she couldn't be there today to support her friend, guessing it'd have to be in spirit. She also set her phone to send a happy birthday message, on the stroke of midnight to her best friend Anna who was turning 24. They had big celebration plans for the next day, which would mostly consist of binge eating on Thai food, and watching re-runs of friends on her couch, but to them that was the perfect day. She smiled, at least having something to look forward to.

"Come on Lang, stop checking your phone and get to work," Laura- a not so nice colleague yelled out.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be there," she mumbled, placing her phone in her bag and shoving it in the staff locker before swapping her jeans and tee for scrubs, getting prepped for a long night at work. What she didn't know is that fate would intervene, and after tonight her life would never be the same.

* * *

Sophia had lost herself in her work, and had just come up to the staff room for a Coffee break. Most of the room was empty, spare a colleague or two taking nap in one of the seats across the long hallway that was the staff room. She smiled, and set her cup of coffee down, leaning against the table and looking out the window. In her direct line of sight stood the high structure that was Star labs. She took a sip of the soy mocha, relishing in the burn of coffee trickling down her throat when she saw it. It was a magnificent burnt orange light illuminating the sky. Like a pulse it started to spread further and further throughout the city, moving toward the hospital at a fast rate. Her eyes went wide, and there wasn't even enough time to move before the cloud of energy smashed the windows of the hospital and knocked her down.

Pain surged throughout her body, as she dropped down to the floor in agony, fading in an out of consciousness from the shock. She was struggling to keep her eyes open and a painful groan escaped her throat as she scooted away from all the broken glass, taking a few moments to compose herself, trying to push herself to stand up. All she could think about is that if she was hit then others would have been hurt too and she needed to help them. _Come on Sophia,_ move she thought to herself. Powering through, she placed her hand on the white tiled floor beneath her and pushed herself up, trying to get into a sitting position at least. Getting up she brushed the glass off herself, and saw that the power had gone out. The lights flickered in the hall way, and it was eerily quiet.

It was in that moment her pager started beeping furiously, there was MET call to the emergency room. She grabbed her equipment, disinfecting her hands on the go and throwing on gloves as she ran down two floors of stairs. The power seemed to have went out in her section of the building where the pulse hit. The back-up generator barely powered the lights, and the elevators were out.

By the time she got into emergency it was a mess. There were people everywhere with various injuries. Most were lacerations that needed to be dressed, and stitched. She was focusing on the elderly patients and helping out with the stitching when an emergency paramedics unit ran in with a body on a stretcher.

"I need a nurse stat." one of the paramedics called, as the other paged for a doctor.

Sophia ran over, finished with her patient and immediately got to work, another nurse filling her place as all the staff rushed to get everyone medical attention in the chaos.

"What happened?" she shouted, not able to hear much over the bustling chaos of the ward as she tried to keep up with the moving stretcher, and assess the man's situation. His face was covered with small lacerations, probably from shattered glass and he had an oxygen mask on his face obviously his body not able to breath for him.

"Pulse ox 80%, No heartbeat," the paramedic rushed out. Sophia nodded and they got to work quickly. The guy looked familiar, but she tried not to pay attention to that as they rushed him into a room, trying to get his heart beating again, and oxygen back into his body, but he had already slipped into a coma. Soon enough his heart was stable, and oxygen levels were rising, but his body couldn't cope. The doctor arrived shortly after and Sophia was sent to inform his next of kin on the situation. She spared one more glance at Barry's face before leaving the room. As she was left the room, she noticed two people sitting in the waiting chairs. It was at that moment she recognised the girl to be Iris West, sitting with her father Joe. She'd met Iris at Jitters, and had spoken to her quite a bit whenever she came to the coffee joint. That made this job so much harder, to explain to them that they weren't sure Barry would even survive, let alone wake up from the Coma if his body ever recovered… his heart was erratic, and there was no way of knowing… but they just had to have hope. She gulped before walking towards them as Joe stood up expectantly.

"How's he doing? Is he going to be alright?" Joe asked, and Sophia gave him a sad smile before responding.

"We've managed to get his heart beating as normally as possible, but his body has gone into shock due to the electrocution and so he's in a coma, for how long… we don't know yet," She said solemnly. This just caused Iris to panic even more.

"But he's going to survive right? He has too," Iris whispered the last part desperately, clutching at her father's hand for comfort.

"We've done everything in our power to help him, the rest is up to Barry. We've just got to have faith," Sophia said, placing a comforting hand on Iris's shoulder, giving her a small smile.

"Thank you Sophia," Iris said sincerely.

"The doctor will be out in a few minutes and then you can go inside and visit for as long as you'd like, if you need anything you know where to find me," Sophia said to the pair, receiving a grateful nod from Joe, who just held onto Iris's hand.

Sophia left, knowing there was nothing else she could do for Barry, and that only time could tell. She headed down the hall and moved onto the other countless patients that needed attention, but her mind strayed to her friend Anna, praying to god that she was alright in all this mess.

* * *

 **9 months later.**

It had been a long 9 months since the night of the explosion of the particle accelerator. Countless lives were lost that day, others injured for life.

Barry had flat-lined multiple times, only to be nearly declared dead. His heart was beating so fast that it wasn't coming up on the monitor- not that anyone knew that at the time. It was like he had no heart beat… it would come and go in bursts and this went on for days before the hospital was paid a special visit by Doctor Harrison Wells. He offered Joe the option of taking Barry to Star Labs where Caitlin would take care of him, and where they had the technology to keep him alive.

But the drama didn't even end with that. Caitlin had lost her fiancé in the explosion and Sophia had found out the next morning that her childhood friend Anna was killed in a car accident when the accelerator exploded. That hit her hard. Detective West had delivered the news personally to her when he was at the hospital. She couldn't believe it. It was Anna's twenty fourth birthday and she had died. Sophia had never felt more helpless and empty in her entire life. She spent the next 6 months stuck in the same mournful phase, and she wasn't the only one. Caitlin was doing the same thing, working long hours, not taking care of herself, and pushing herself to the edge.

But during these tragic and mournful times, they somehow managed to get through it together. Sophia would cook dinner one night, and take a dish over to Caitlin's when she knew she was working a late shift at Star Labs taking care for Barry. Vice versa when Sophia was working late at the hospital, Caitlin would drop a care package filled with some groceries, chocolate and her favourite bubble bath scents. Even though she lost someone so precious to her, she also gained something beautiful. New friendships were formed, and she met some amazing people who started to slowly fill the hole in her heart.

It was now 9 months post-explosion and even though it was hard, they were making their way on the road to recovery. But there were always days that were hard, days when Sophia would give anything to see her friend again, even for a moment. Today was one of those days, but what Sophia didn't know was that someone was going to make it better.

Since it was Sophia's day off, she thought she'd grab Caitlin, Cisco and Doctor Wells some Coffee from Jitters to take along with her on her trip to Star Labs. Caitlin's car was getting serviced so she offered to pick her up from work, and Doctor Wells had invited her to spend the day at Star Labs, to which she gracefully accepted.

She parked her car and had been walking down the street towards the entrance of Star Labs with the coffee's to go when something-or more accurately someone came barrelling down the street so fast they collided with her, sending the steaming coffee all over her jacket. She screeched, the boiling coffee burning the skin on her hand as it came into contact, spilling all over her cardigan. She ripped off the beige cardigan immediately, relieving her of the pain, as she heard an "oh crap" most likely from the person who ran into her.

"Oh crap is one way of putting it, don't you ever watch where you're going?" she huffed, trying to wipe of the coffee before looking up, only to open her mouth in shock.

"I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you," Barry apologised profusely, feeling terrible that he had ran into someone, especially Iris's pretty nurse acquaintance, as Cisco phrased it this morning before he had left.

"Barry? How did you-" she trailed off in confusion, astounded that he was standing there in front of her when he had been in a coma for the last 9 months.

"I just woke up, Caitlin and Cisco said I could go, I had to go see Iris and Joe," Barry explained. He had just come back from visiting them both when he realised what he could do. It was impossible and he had to find out what was going on with him.

"Understandable but you shouldn't have left, did Caitlin even do a full Obs check, how's your heart rate, and your temperature?" She mumbled, grabbing his wrist with one hand and putting her other hand to his forehead. This just caused him to pause for a second before he realised that she was a nurse, and then he laughed lightly.

"I'm fine, Caitlin wouldn't let me go anywhere until she checked me out," Barry said, and then realised how weird that sounded.

"…"

"That sounded less weird in my head," and they both smiled, laughing on the inside- well at least Sophia was. Barry was just berating himself for saying something stupid, before looking down at the floor to see all the Coffee's destroyed.

"I'm really sorry about the Coffee I swear I'll make it up to you," he promised.

"Don't worry Barry. Its fine, you literally just woke up from a Coma, I can't blame you," She said with a sigh. "Though I could use some ice for my hand, it's starting to sting now." She pointed to the inflamed skin that was now as red as Barry's cheeks from embarrassment.

"Sure, let's go inside and get something on that," Barry said as they moved to walk to the Cortex.

"Again, I'm so sorry," He said feeling guilty.

"Again, its fine," she responded with a small smile, her brown eyes glinting in the light.

"So,"

"So…" she extended the 'o' probably making it more awkward than it already was.

"Cisco said you took care of me, I appreciate it," He said, grateful that he was taken care of by such caring people.

"It was no problem, I mean it is my job after all… You know we've never been formally introduced. Let's start over again?" She suggested sticking her hand out, "Hi I'm Sophia Lang, nice to meet you."

Barry smiled and grasped her hand shaking it, "Hi Sophia, I'm Barry, Barry Allen." They both laughed, feeling the tension diffused before they walked into the Cortex. Upon arrival Caitlin got busy with Barry and Doctor Wells, whereas Cisco helped Sophia out with that coffee burn that was starting to settle down.

After a lot of jaw dropping, and eyes popping out, it was revealed that Barry Allen had somehow gotten super speed from being struck by lightning. They had all gone down to an abandoned air strip, which was now being used as a training ground to actually see for themselves if what Barry claimed was actually humanly possible. They were just waiting for Barry to finish changing into what Cisco gave him.

Barry walked out, tugging at the red suit that was quite form fitting. "How does it fit? It's a little snug," he mentioned, twisting around slightly, inspecting how the outfit looked on him.

"At least you'll be moving so fast, no one will see you." Cisco pointed out, only causing Sophia to let out a little laugh and then when they both turned to her she shrugged.

"It's not that bad Barry, _besides_ , I think the red suits you," she said biting her lip and eyeing the suit. Yes it was a bit snug but she did have to commend Cisco for choice of colour, the crimson really did suit him, and she noted that his cheeks were also tinted crimson after her comment. Before either boy could reply Caitlin cut in.

"See, you thought the world was slowing down, it wasn't. You were moving so fast, it only looked like everyone else was standing still."

"Doctor Wells will be monitoring your energy output while Caitlin and Sophia monitor your vitals." Cisco said, cutting into the conversation.

"What do you do?" Barry inquired.

" _I_ make the toys, man. Check it," Cisco pronounced smugly before motioning to bits and bobs on the suit. "This is a two-way headset with a camera I modified, typically designed to combat battlefield impulse noise, or in your case, potential sonic booms."

"Which would be awesome," Sophia muttered under her breath, Cisco agreeing with an "Mmm hmmm". Barry then moved onto talking with Caitlin, mostly about her not smiling all too often. When Caitlin mentioned loosing Ronnie in the explosion, a pang of sadness hit Sophia. She sort of felt guilty now, being happy and moving on when her friend died in the explosion. She gulped, a turned away from them, looking at her phone screensaver which was a photo of said friend that they took on a holiday they had in Australia a few years ago. She was so caught up thinking about Anna, that she barely noticed Cisco placing his hand on her shoulder.

"You miss her don't you," he asked, a sympathetic expression on his face.

"All the time," she said, before sniffing slightly and straightening up. She gave cisco a small smile before moving to grab her tablet out and sync it up with Barry's vitals. As Barry got ready to run, Wells spoke some final words of wisdom.

"Mister Allen, while I am extremely eager to determine your full range of abilities, I do caution restraint." And with that Barry sped off like a bullet, a rush of wind blowing Sophia and Caitlin's hair back.

"Yeah! He just passed 200 knots per hour," Cisco exclaimed, clearly enjoying himself.

"That's not possible," Sophia breathed out, staring out at Barry's blurry form in awe. It was only a few seconds later when Caitlin yelled for Barry to watch out, when he went crashing into a bunch of water containers.

"Ouch, that's got to hurt," She muttered with a frown. She told Caitlin she had this one, and grabbed her Nursing kit. She ran down the runway, Barry meeting her halfway, gripping his right arm awkwardly, a painful expression on his face.

"You alright Allen?" She asked as he moved forward.

"Yeah, just my wrist is killing me," He mentioned. She observed his injury and by the look of it he had fractured his wrist.

"Most likely a distal radius fracture, but we'd need to get back to Star Labs to be certain for sure," she said delicately touching his wrist with her gloved hands. He didn't know how but her soft touch eased the pain slightly. He stared at her for a moment, not having a good chance to do so before hand. Her short dark hair consisted of messy curls that the wind kept blowing in her face. Before he knew it he had his other hand tucking a curl behind her ear, only to receive a hint of pink on her cheeks as a response.

"Thanks," she said softly before continuing. "We better get back to Star Labs, Caitlin will probably want to do some x-rays on that wrist, and I'm sure she's dying to do some more blood work."

"Sure thing, let's get moving Lang."

"Lang?" she rose an eyebrow, her brown eyes glinting in the sunlight, something that he found he kept noticing.

"Well you called me Allen, I was just trying it out," he mumbled in embarrassment.

"Its fine, I like it," She admitted, giving him a small grin.

* * *

"It looks like you had a distal radius fracture," Caitlin explained, showing Barry the results from her tablet, causing Sophia to smile to herself as she had predicted it.

"Had?" Barry asked in confusion inspecting his wrist as he twisted it back and forth, feeling no pain at all.

"It's healed in three hours," Caitlin said, and now it was her time to be excited.

"How is that even possible?"

"We don't know."

"Yet," Cisco shoved in.

"Well if his body is able to move at such a fast speed, then surely all his other bodily functions both anatomically and physiologically would have followed right? It's a change on a cellular level, so that must be why the healing process was accelerated and faster than any normal human's," Sophia mused, only to receive an impressed look from everyone in the room.

"What," she said shrugging at their dumbfounded expressions, "Just because I don't have a PHD like half the people in this room doesn't mean I'm dumb, I did graduate with Masters at 19." She frowned, crossing her arms. What did they all think she was dumb or something just because she didn't have a degree in astrophysics or something insane like that?

"Good theory, I like it," Cisco commented, spinning her chair around in the cortex. "But you really need to learn how to stop you know, hit the brakes before you break more bones," Cisco directed at Barry who grimaced. It was not a pleasant experience, and he'd rather not repeat it again.

"What happened out there today? You were moving pretty well, and then something caused you to lose focus," Wells probed, and Barry to take a deep breath before beginning his story.

"When I was 11, my mother was murdered," Barry started off, and Sophia's breath hitched, tears slowly forming in her eyes as he continued with his heart-breaking story. "It was late, a sound woke me up. I came downstairs and I saw what looked like a ball of lightning." Barry explained, and she thought of the cloud of light she saw the night of the explosion, wondering if it was in anyway similar. "Inside the lightning, there was a man. He killed my mom. They arrested my dad. He's still sitting in Iron Heights for her murder. Everyone, the cops, the shrink, they all told me what I saw was impossible," he stopped for a moment, breathing out the next words with a shaky breath. "But what if the man who killed my mom was like me?" That caused everyone in the room to look up with wide eyes.

Sophia just stared at Barry. Today she learnt that not everything you believe is true, and that sometimes the impossible isn't that impossible. Barry's logic seemed to make sense, and even though the prospect of the man who killed his mother being a meta-human was terrifying, it could be true. But then again, the particle accelerator explosion is what gave Barry his powers, so it was highly unlikely the killer was the same, since this had happened over 10 years ago. But before she could voice this point Doctor Wells came to the rescue.

"Well I think I can say unequivocally you are one of a kind Barry."

Shortly after the conversation in the room dissipated, and Barry said he was heading out to meet up with Joe and Iris. Caitlin and Sophia agreed they would work analysing the results from Barry's recent training session and Cisco mumbled something about making a suit.

Sophia was working on some of Barry's vitals, comparing them from his pre-meta days to work out what would be a normal range for him now. It was difficult to piece everything together but she figured over time, and further examination they would be able to figure out what was normal and abnormal for Barry. She had nearly finished entering the data into the computer when Cisco called her on the Com system to come down and check something out quote "you're going to want to see this" and "man this is so sweet," so obviously she left the work she was doing and went to see what the fuss was all about.

When she got there, she saw the finished piece and she nearly died (figuratively). It was a full suit, this time with proper pants and sleeves. It was made of some sort of tri-polymer that looked like it could hold up with Barry moving at high-velocity speed so that he wouldn't spontaneously combust or something.

"I see you decided to go with red," Sophia mentioned to Cisco as she checked out the suit, still in awe of how 'cool' it looked. She moved forward, touching it with her hand, and it the material felt like smooth leather, which made her suddenly jealous that Allen would get to wear this and not herself.

"You can thank me later," Cisco teased, winking at Sophia who caught this motion and laughed, looking down in embarrassment.

"Don't even start Cisco," she responded biting her lip. She had a feeling Barry would like the suit.

"Wanna help me move it into the cortex?" Cisco said, to which she nodded. They placed it on a trolley, and rolled it into the cortex, placing it behind a glass frame.

Just as they had done this, a rush of air had blown into the room, and the two turned around to see Barry walking in.

He looked angry… this was not good.

"I wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator explosion, was I?"

"We don't know for sure," Caitlin said.

"You said the city was safe, that there was no residual danger," Barry exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "But that's not true, so what really happened that night?"

"Well, the accelerator went active, we all felt like heroes, and then it all went wrong,"

"A dimensional barrier ruptured, unleashing unknown energies into our world, ant-matter, dark energy, X-elements," Wells explained, wheeling around the room.

"Those are all theoretical," Barry countered.

"And how theoretical are you? We've mapped dispersion throughout and around Central City but we have no way of knowing exactly what or who was exposed. We've been searching for other meta-humans, like yourself."

"Meta-humans?" Barry frowned in confusion.

"That's what we're calling them," Sophia cleared up, giving him a sympathetic look. She could understand that it was a lot to get around, because all the superheroes she had looked up to in her comic books as a kid were now suddenly real, and right now they were not lacking in villains. Clyde Martin had been hit by the storm cloud as well, and he was now raining down terror on Central City. Literally. He had the ability to control the weather, and if that wasn't crazy Sophia didn't know what was.

"Mardon must have gotten his powers the same way I did," Barry thought out loud before continuing, "He's still out there. We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

"Barry! That's a job for the police," Wells yelled.

"Yeah, I work for the police."

"As a forensic assistant," Wells said, which clearly didn't sit well with Barry as he yelled back "You're responsible for this, for him!"

"What's important is you, not me."

"I lost everything. I lost my company, I lost my reputation, I lost my freedom," he confessed, "And then you broke your arm, and it healed in three hours. Inside your body, could be a map to a whole new world genetic therapy, vaccines, medicines, treasures Barry. Deep within your cells, and we cannot risk losing everything because you wanna go out and play hero. You're not a hero," Wells concluded.

"You're just a young man who was struck by lightning," With that Sophia had enough, Yes Doctor Wells had some good points, but Barry was his own person and could decide what he wanted to do. If he wanted to use his powers to help others then she would support him. But before she could even move forward to talk to Barry he zoomed out of there in a flash.

A frown settled on her forehead, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed in Wells.

"If Barry Allen wants to be a hero, then he can be, and he can help us at the same time. What you did was wrong, and you know it," Sophia told Wells before giving Caitlin and Cisco a glance as she left the cortex.

* * *

After leaving Star Labs, Sophia figured she would go to Jitters and get that coffee she missed out on that morning. Day dreaming in her own little world as she walked towards the store, she gasped when she felt a hand on her wrist. She looked up to see that it was only Barry and sighed in relief.

"Sorry," he murmured, it was the second time that day he had caught her off guard.

"It's alright, just didn't expect to see anyone. How you holding up Allen?" she asked.

"That's the thing… I'm not holding up. I feel absolutely helpless right now… I don't know what to do," he said sighing, placing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. She pulled him into an alleyway outside the coffee house so that no one would over hear their conversation.

"Hey, listen, it's not your fault. The accelerator just happened to give people super powers, and you happened to be one of them. It doesn't mean you are responsible for Marden," she whispered, trying to keep her voice low, and she could tell by his facial expression that he wanted to interrupt but she just held her hand up and he stopped. "That being said, you have a responsibility to yourself. If you believe that you can help others with your speed, then that's your duty, first and fore mostly a duty to yourself. Not anyone else."

"You sure are wise for someone so young," Barry joked, but deep down he truly appreciated her honesty and advice. Her belief in him after knowing him personally for a day was truly astounding. He felt the same about Cisco and Caitlin… he just wasn't sure about Doctor Wells at this present moment.

"I'm the same age as you doofus," she answered, playfully shoving his shoulder and he gave her one of his heart-melting grins that she tried to ignore. She noticed that he had a great smile, and she was scared at the hold it had over her emotions at this point.

"So what do I do? You heard Wells." And with that his face dropped again. Wells was right. He was just a forensic assistant, he was just a regular person, and he wasn't anything special… at least that's what he told himself.

"What do you do? Stop Marden, that's what you do," She replied, a smile on her face. She moved forward, pushing him towards the exit of the alleyway. "Well go on then," she motioned, "Go be a hero." With a final nod, he was gone in a flash, and she was staring at the empty space in awe.

Figuring he was going to go to Star Labs to stop Marden, she grabbed her coffee to go, and headed back there. As she walked in Cisco and Caitlin were both manning the desks, speaking to Barry through a microphone. Sophia's eyes immediately went to the manikin that held the crimson suit, only to see it missing. She was happy he was using it, but slightly disappointed that she didn't get to see him in it yet, especially since she found that other red suit to fit him very well. She shook her head, trying to get those thoughts out of her head and start helping out in any way she could.

"Barry, this thing is getting closer."

"Wind speeds are 200 miles per hour and increasing," Cisco said, flicking things on the screen. Sophia stood next to him and looked at the readings… things were not looking well for them right now.

"Barry can you hear me?" Sophia spoke through the mic.

"Yeah, loud and clear," he responded.

"If it keeps up it could become an F5 tornado..." her voice rang through the mic, Cisco continuing "and it's headed towards the city."

"How do I stop it guys? What if I unravel it?"

"How the hell are you gonna do that?" Cisco exclaimed.

"I'll run around it in the opposite direction, cut off its legs." Sophia nodded at his logic, it might work but it'd probably kill him in the process.

"He'd have to clock 700 miles per hour to do that," Cisco calculated.

"Your body may not be able to handle those speeds," Caitlin said, giving the two a worried look as they all looked back to the screens.

"You'll die Barry," Sophia whispered, the worry seeping into her voice, and she felt guilty now because she was the one to encourage him in the first place, to go and stop Marden.

"I have to try," god dammit she thought. And with that he ran, his body moving at inhumane speeds. As they monitored from the computer screen, they could see that it was working, he was destabilising the tornado, and it was starting to unravel the faster he moved.

"The suit's holding up." At least there was that positive.

"But he's not," Caitlin ruined the positive.

"He can do it," Sophia reassured them all. He had to. "You can do it."

"He's too strong," Barry groaned as they heard him fall to the ground.

"You can do this Barry," Doctor Wells said, which caused all three youngsters to turn to their right in shock that Wells was there, and especially at what was coming out of his mouth. "You're right, I am responsible for all this. So many people have been hurt, because of me, and when I looked at you, all I saw was a potential victim of my hubris, and yes, I created this madness, but you, Barry, you can stop it." Wells motivational speech seemed to kick start something in Barry and he started moving faster than before, hitting past 700 miles per hour and stopping Marden. His mic went a bit fuzzy towards the end but he had stopped the tornado.

"Barry?" Sophia carefully said his name through the mic, hoping he was alright.

"It's over, I'm ok," He responded and everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. Cisco let out a laugh, and soon enough they all joined in.

"Well, it's been a long day hasn't it," Sophia mused, "I think it's past my bedtime," she joked, but she was sure that if she didn't head home soon she wouldn't be able to wake up for her morning shift at the hospital.

"Indeed Miss Lang. I believe I owe you an apology. It was wrong of me to say that to Barry, and you were right. He can help the city, and he can help us, it's just a matter of balance," Wells said as wheeled over to her.

"All is forgiven, and likewise I'm sorry for my little outburst back there," She said, extending a hand out to Doctor Wells who shook it, giving him a nod before herself and Caitlin left, for home. The two boys stayed behind to welcome Barry back. Sophia was just happy to be back home after the insane day she had. She still couldn't believe that this was even possible, and she had a feeling that her life was only going to get more crazy from here on out.

After saying goodbye to Caitlin on the third floor, she trudged up the stairs once more til she reached her own floor and fished for her keys in the mess of her black handbag. She honestly needed to keep it more organised but she was never good at that. She unlocked her apartment door, kicking off her shoes and leaving them in the hallway, her feet relaxing from the release of the pressure. Slowly she changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and a white tee before slipping into her bed, cuddling up to the softness it offered. As she lay in her bed, her navy blue blankets all the way up to her chin, she grabbed her phone on her night stand and sent a text to Barry whose number she had gotten off Cisco that afternoon. The message was short and sweet.

"Proud of you. – Lang."

And with that Sophia's eyes fluttered closed, taking her into a land of peaceful dreams, because for the first time, in a long time, she felt safe.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: All characters and lines that have been taken from the hit TV series** ** _The Flash_** **belong to the CW writers of 'The Flash' and Warner Brothers, except of course my own original creative genius and characters. This disclaimer applies to all chapters within this story.**

Updated/Re-vamped on the 18/06/16 / Only minor changes to layout & presentation.

 **Authors Note –**

 **So, there was chapter one. I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed reading it, and are looking forward to more. I know this chapter was quite fast paced, but I just wanted to get that quick background in regards to Sophia as a character, her workplace, and the type of supportive and compassionate person she is, the following chapters flow much better, I promise.**

 **This fic is Barry/OC but I assure you that there will be NO bashing of canon love interests whatsoever. I hate reading a fic where they basically tear the canon love interest to shreds because it doesn't suit their agenda… seriously not cool.**

 **This is mean to be a light fic with romance, adventure and comedy, with a hint of drama. The story is told mostly from Sophia's point of view, and goes by the episodes of the series, starting with season one. Not all episodes will be covered, as I do have chapters that are original, and things will be changed around, not all aspects will be 100% correct or matching that of the show, and that's because I've either decided I wanted to take creative licence over bits and pieces, or I've just forgotten about things etc. But please do not expect it to be exactly like the show at times, because it is fanfiction after all.**

 **I am aiming at posting one chapter a week, or one every few days depending on demand. Reviews are welcomed, I would love to read what you think about this story so far.**

 **I've posted one-shots on here before, but I hope that this is my first successful posting of a complete fanfiction with multiple chapters. If everything turns out well, I want to take it into season two as well, and who knows where it'll go from there.**

 **Much appreciation and love to you all.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue.**


	2. Captain Clone?

CHAPTER TWO

"Hey I think you're actually starting to get the hang of this whole running thing," Sophia mused gleefully through her phone as she chatted with Barry and Cisco through a three-way call. She was on her way home after finishing a long night shift and desperately in need of some sleep because she had to be up at 1 to go to some conference at Stagg industries that work was sending her too, which made her regret signing up for the board when she realised she had to go to all of these events whilst sleep deprived.

"Barry!" Cisco yelled, causing Sophia to grimace on her end and push her phone away from her ear as she unlocked her car.

"What? Did I miss it?" Barry asked, sounding slightly out of breath on the other side of the line.

"You overshot by about six blocks," Cisco said amused by this.

"Spoke to soon," Sophia mumbled slipping on her glasses before she started up her car… just the usual routine of being half-blind. Day to day she was fine, but driving was always a hassle if she didn't wear her prescription glasses… she really needed to invest in some contacts, but she was getting off track here. Back to Barry trying to stop a fire.

"My bad," Barry sighed before running back in the other direction, determined to get it right this time. In no time he had zoomed into the burning building, picked up the little girl who was still inside and dropped her outside, in the safety of her mother's arms. Barry's heart swelled at the sight of the child safe, and he knew that look on their faces was the reason he did this.

Meanwhile back at Star Labs, Caitlin had entered the cortex and heard Cisco talking to someone, and looking quite suspicious as he typed away on his computer, a map of the city on his screen, and police scanners on in the background.

"Who are you talking to?" Caitlin asked, to which Cisco said "Nothing." And Sophia replied "Me." To save his butt and all of their butt's because if Caitlin found out that Barry was running around playing superhero then they would all be in big trouble. They had clearly remembered her lecture from the previous week, berating them for any kind of saving work that wasn't in direct regards to meta-humans. But the fire department needed some extra help today, and Barry sure wasn't going to let some people get hurt, or worse, die, because he was told not to.

"Are you talking to Barry?" Caitlin asked sternly putting both hands on either side of her waist, a frown beginning to appear on her face.

"Who?" Cisco said nonchalantly, and Sophia just figured she would stay quiet and focus on driving home.

"Barry Allen? Struck by lightning? Was in a coma for nine months? Woke up being able to run faster than the speed of sound? Ring a bell?" Caitlin asked sarcastically.

"No, haven't talked to him," Cisco said with pursed lips, shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

"What else you got for me Cisco?" Barry spoke through his mic, a trail of excitement in his voice as he finished saving a whole bunch of people from a fire. He was on a roll today and he'd like to keep it going. He swore that nothing felt better than the adrenaline rush of it all, and right now he couldn't get enough.

"Barry, its Caitlin." And with that the roll had dropped, stopped and basically died.

" _Hey C-Caitlin_ ," Barry dragged on, his nervousness obvious in his voice. He winced not ready for the verbal beating that was about to come his way. "How's your day?" he asked, hoping she didn't hear the previous comment, which was highly unlikely.

"Smooth Allen, smooth," Sophia mumbled on the line still listening into the failure of a team they were at keeping a secret.

"Get back to Star. Labs. Now." To put it simple, Caitlin Snow was pissed.

"On my way," Barry announced, running back to home base, not wanting to be in anymore trouble.

As Barry arrived back Cisco left the call on so Sophia was still in the mix. "Have you three lost your minds? Yes, Sophia you too," Caitlin said before continuing "Who do you think you are?"

"Well, I'm the eyes and ears, and he's the feet," Cisco replied cheekily.

"And I'm just here for support, go team!" Sophia said lamely through the phone.

"This isn't funny." Caitlin was seriously angry with them. "You could have gotten yourself killed. You can't be running around the city like some supersonic fireman."

"Why not? This is what we talked about, me using my speed to do good," Barry disputed, crossing his arms. What was really so bad about him going out there and helping people. If anything, shouldn't this sort of behaviour be encouraged?

"We talked about you helping us contain other people who might have been affected by the particle accelerator explosion. Meta-humans. And aside from Clyde Mardon, we haven't found any," Caitlin explained, and Sophia could hear the frustration in her voice and imagined there was a large frown to match that pretty face at that very moment.

"People in this city still need help, and I can help them," Barry tried to explain. There was so much he could do. Today he helped save the life of a little girl who might not have made it if he wasn't there. The fire fighters were at least two minutes out and by that time she would have passed out from lack of oxygen, and most of the building would have collapsed. "We can help them," Barry urged and Sophia let out an mmm hmm from the other side of the line causing Caitlin to groan.

"Will you please say something?" Caitlin said to Doctor Wells who just wheeled in to see the commotion.

"I think what Caitlin is saying in her own spectacularly angry way is that we are just beginning to understand what your body is capable of. Not to sound like a broken record Mr. Allen but I do caution restraint," Wells explained.

"Dr. Wells I doubt restraint is how you got to be the man you are today," Barry countered.

"In a wheelchair and a pariah. Lack of restraint is what made me these things. Know your limits." Wells advised, and Barry's anger softened when he faced the man sitting in the wheelchair.

"Don't expect me to patch you up every time you break something," Caitlin whispered harshly before moving along. Cisco gave Barry an awkward smile, trying to show that he was there for support. Caitlin was sensitive when it came to things like this, because of how Ronnie died. She didn't want to see anyone else that she cared about getting hurt, and this was just her way of distancing herself from her emotions.

"Uh not to be a party pooper, but I just got home and I'm in need of some sleep. I'll catch you guys later," She said, and they greeted her goodbye. She was pretty sure if she didn't say a thing, they would have forgotten she was on the phone in all of the commotion.

Just as she hung up Cisco asked Barry if he was feeling alright, because he had noticed a spike in his vitals, to which Barry said he was fine. Barry then got a call from Joe calling him.

"Hey, Joe, everything alright?"

"Great. I got a fresh crime scene, a dead body, and detectives interviewing witnesses, miles of that yellow tape stretched over everything. Only _one_ thing missing. Can you guess what that is?" Joe asked sarcastically, when in reality he was seething. Barry was late, yet again.

"I'll be right there," Barry groaned as he hung up the phone, having forgotten he had work this morning, and was running late, very late.

"My day job beckons," Barry said before speeding out of there and to the crime scene, leaving Cisco, Caitlin and Doctor Wells behind. Wells then turned to look at both Cisco and Caitlin, an amused look on his face.

"When do you think he'll realise he didn't take his clothes?"

* * *

The consistent beeping noise wasn't enough to wake Sophia from her deep sleep. The only reason she had gotten up, was because her cat came and sat on her as she slept. She groaned, moving position slightly to get some more sleep, cuddling up to her soft pillow when it hit her.

The conference.

 _Shit._

She jumped out of bed abruptly, scaring her cat. "Sorry chewie." Her voice was thick with sleep as she made it to her bathroom and turned on the hot water. In record time she had showered, finished her make-up and threw her hair into a fish-tail braid to make it appear like she had put effort into getting ready. She slipped into a navy blue piece that came just above her knees, pairing the dress with a black pair of heels that she knew she could run in and not want to die within the first three seconds of wearing them. She was hopping to her front door as she shoved her feet into the shoes, grabbing her keys and praying to god that she would make it there in time without having to speed.

She was grateful that the weather was nice, the sun beaming down on Central City that day. At least, this would make the event somewhat bearable. She had arrived just in time, rushing through the front doors of the very large and impressive building, slowing down to walk in a more professional manner as she entered. She moved forward into the crowd only to see Simon Stagg being ushered out another set of doors by his security. She groaned, realising she had missed the event, well at least the most important person speaking at it. So she walked forward, grabbing a flute of champagne from one of the waiters, and downed at least half of it, needing the kick right now. She looked around the room only to see a crowd of reporters, and guests, and not a familiar face in sight. She sighed, looking back down at the glass in her hand and thinking _what the hell_ and downed the rest of it, placing the empty glass on a table nearby.

She strolled around the complex, inspecting the new displays and pieces of technology, listening in on some scientists chatting with a few reporters about the new technology that Stagg Industries was starting to produce, and that would bring them to the forefront of scientific technology development. She scoffed mentally at some of the primitive technology they were speaking about. Star Labs had produced a lot of this stuff before the particle accelerator, even their competitors at Mercury Labs had this stuff months ago, so she didn't know why Simon Stagg was trying to make such a big deal about it all. After a while, even this interesting conversation turned boring and she was too tired to pay attention. In fact she was just staring into the distance until she heard someone call her name.

"Sophia?" she turned around, to see Barry and Iris standing a few feet away. She smiled and walked over, her heels clacking against the white tiles. She missed the dazed look Barry had as he looked at her sudden appearance, and probably the fact that she was in something other than her scrubs, or jeans and a coffee stained t-shirt. Her eyes then fluttered over to Barry, who was looking really good in a suit and she admitted to herself that it looked as good as his red one, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to remind herself not to have these insane thoughts.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" She asked moving her eyes from Barry to Iris, causing Iris to laugh "I was going to say the same about you."

"I was meant to be here on behalf of the hospital board, but I slept in and it looks like I missed all the fun," she pursed her lips, not going to enjoy the berating that was surely to come her way once she returned back to work the next morning. She had already been late for quite a few shifts the last few weeks, and needed to redeem herself in the eyes of her manager, and this was probably not the way to do that, but alas, she honestly tried her best.

"I came to get a quote for my article from Simon Stagg, but Barry here forgot he was meant to come along to explain all the science stuff," Iris said, throwing shade at Barry to which they received a sheepish shrug causing them to giggle amongst themselves. But before they could continue their conversation there were multiple gun shots in the air causing them to duck and Barry grabbed onto both of them protectively, moving them out of harm's way.

"Quiet down! All of you!" and with that more gunshots rang out in the air as armed gunman swarmed the place.

"Oh my god," Iris whispered, panicking with wide eyes as the guests were held at gun-point.

"How considerate! You're all wearing your finest jewellery, almost like you knew we were coming to rob you! Now everybody line up!" The robber yelled out. There were six of them, all dressed in black with masks on their faces. They complied and lined up, guests starting to dump their finest pieces of jewellery into the bags they held out. From wedding bands, to pearl earrings, and bejewelled watches were thrown into the black bags, sending many guests into tears as their beloved possessions were stolen from them. Barry in between the two girls. As they were standing there, Barry looked around for a way to get out of there without anyone noticing, that way he could take care of the robbery. Sophia had the same thought, and as they looked around the room, a security guard walked in, a gun held tightly in his hands, as he pointed at the robbers.

With a shaky breath the guard yelled out "Freeze, d-drop your weapons!"

"Barry," Sophia whispered softly, looking around the room with wide eyes before motioning towards the guard to which he nodded and without a second to spare he had sped off, time slowing down as he ran grabbing the man and the bullets that were directed at him dropping to the ground missing their target. The robbers seemed to change their mind about the heist as soon as they noticed the streak was on the scene. They took what they had gotten and fled the scene, trying to make an escape through the back, as Barry followed them, trying to stop them.

As soon as the danger was gone both Iris and Sophia ran outside, in search of Barry. Sophia's eyes darted around, trying to catch sight of Barry but she couldn't see him anywhere. It was a few moments later that Iris spotted his collapsed body laying against a concrete wall as the getaway van sped off into the distance, the robbers getting away. Sophia sprinted over to him with Iris and she put a hand to his neck trying to find a pulse. _Come on_ she thought to herself, as her fingers fumbled against his neck, trying to find the familiar thump of his pulse.

"Barry, Barry, Wake up," Sophia said as she felt a weak pulse. She placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly as he started to come to.

"Barry! I turned around and you were gone. What happened? Are you okay?" Iris asked in concern, grabbing the other side of his shoulder and helping Sophia lift him up off the ground.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he mumbled in a low voice, still trying to get a hold of his bearings. He found that his vision was fuzzy, and his head was pounding, like someone had hit it with a giant hammer.

"I wouldn't call that fine Allen," Sophia muttered looking at his fatigued form.

"I-I went after them to try and get the plates, and I fainted," Barry said unsure of himself, dusting off his jacket.

"Don't worry Iris, I'll get him checked out personally," Sophia assured her, unsure if Barry was faking that he actually fainted to cover that he was a meta-human or if he actually collapsed. She hoped it wasn't the latter.

They walked back inside the building, Sophia still keeping her arm around his for support, though more for her own peace of mind than to help him she realised. They walked in and bumped into Joe and Eddie who were canvasing the building.

"Where were you?" Joe asked Barry giving Sophia and Barry some sort of secret glance, probably referring to where his "other" self was, which obviously wasn't catching the bad guy.

"Dad, go easy," Iris explained placing a hand on his arm. "I found him outside, he fainted."

"You want me to get you a paramedic, Allen?" Eddie asked, clearly enjoying himself, but there was a hint of compassion underneath it all.

"No need, he has his own nurse," Iris responded cheekily, which caused both Sophia and Barry to blush a deep red, and she removed her arm from his figuring he could support himself by now and she didn't want to add to that comment at all.

"Let me talk to you for a second," Joe said, and with that Iris walked off, talking discreetly to Eddie whilst her father was distracted.

"You chased those gunmen, didn't you?" Joe whispered accusingly, a frown on his face. Barry looked at Sophia and then back at Joe, sighing, knowing that Joe had him caught.

"Yeah they must be the same guys that knocked over the gun shop earlier today," Barry said, explaining his theory to the cop.

"And what were you going to do when you caught them? Huh? Ask them nicely to pull over? You're not bulletproof." Joe said, a frown on his face. "Wait- are you?" Joe asked his anger dissipating and being replaced with intrigue as he raised an eyebrow.

"No but-."

"Okay, no more heroics," Joe concluded, point a finger towards Barry, eliciting a groan from the hero.

"Chasing bad guys is not your job," Joe said, "It's mine, you're not a cop. Promise me."

"Promise," Barry huffed, rolling his eyes slightly, not enjoying the lecture he was being given by Joe, especially since he had an audience. Sophia seemed to be amused by this, a small smile on her face as she watched Barry get told off by Joe.

"You too Sophia," Joe said, and this put a frown on her face.

"What, why me? I'm not the one with superpowers?" she pouted, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but I want you to promise me that you'll keep him in line." Causing her to groan before she gave in. "Fine, but if he doesn't listen to me, technically not my fault, he's your kid," she countered, shaking Joe's hand.

"Fine. And you know Iris is not stupid. Start making better excuses than 'I fainted'," Joe scoffed.

"But I-," and Barry couldn't finish his sentence because Joe walked off, talking to another officer.

"Well look at it this way, it's not like your day can get any worse _right_?" Sophia offered, shrugging as she gave Barry a small encouraging smile to which he sighed, hoping it was true.

* * *

"You _lied_ to us! How could you not tell us you're experiencing dizzy spells? We're your doctors!" Caitlin yelled at Barry, rushing back and forth between her equipment which caused him to groan again, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"It got worse." He said, eying Sophia, and she just sent him a pointed look from across the room. She crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair, kicking off her high heels which were now bruising her feet. She really needed to invest in some comfortable platforms… if such things even existed. She had to commend Iris, who seemed to wear them almost every day, and not complain at all, she was jealous of her ability to wear heels for that long without wanting to claw someone's eyes out.

"It's your own fault Allen. Caitlin's right. If you were having dizzy spells you should have told us, god knows what's going on inside your body," she responded, brushing her hair behind her ear as she stared at him. She stared at him for a few seconds longer, realising her mistake, shaking her head to try and get rid of any inappropriate thoughts running through her head about his body. _Get a hold of yourself Lang._

"Your cells are in a constant state of flux. You could be experiencing cardiopulmonary failure or a transient ischemic attack." This was not Caitlin's day, and Sophia could empathise with her, it was quite frustrating when your patient kept important details hidden.

"Mini stroke," Sophia said, filling in the blanks as she saw the look of confusion on his face.

" _Probably_ not," Cisco threw in as he spun around in his chair popping a purple lolly pop in his mouth.

"You of all people should know that in science, we share. We do not keep secrets." And with that she moved off into the lab to finish off Barry's blood work.

"Wow, I haven't seen anyone make her that angry since Ronnie," Cisco said, passing Sophia the bag of lollies when she raised an eyebrow at his lollipop, popping a jelly baby in her mouth as she ruffled through the bag of sugary goodness, looking for something sweet.

"Ronnie was Caitlin's fiancé? The one that died the night of the accelerator explosion?" Barry asked, intrigued. No one here spoke too much about life before the accelerator, just because it was too painful to relive the memories of that night, and remember those who didn't make it out alive.

"Yeah… he is missed," Cisco spoke softly, and Sophia looked away, remembering Anna once again. It was nearly 10 months on and she still felt sick to her stomach every time she remembered that day. But she tried, she really did. Every day she tried to move on as much as she could, to remember Anna, but not let her memory hurt her. She knew that if her friend was still alive, that's what she would want her to do. She would tell her to move on, and to live her life, and not let the past control her future.

"Now let's figure out why this is happening to you." Cisco changed the subject, bringing Sophia out of her thoughts. He set up one of the smaller rooms in the cortex ready to test Barry and figure out what was going on. Sophia walked in, to see Cisco adding the final touches. He had taken a treadmill and modified it to suit Barry's needs. It looked quite impressive, and Sophia just hoped that it would work. Once Cisco gave the all clear, she went to gather everyone.

"We're all set," Sophia mentioned, gaining their attention.

"A little padding, just in case," Cisco grinned, motioning to the cardboard boxes behind the treadmill that were supposed to act as a safety net… of some sort.

"You sure about this Cisco? Most home treadmills have a maximum speed of-." But before Barry could finish Cisco cut him off.

"This one has been Cisco'ed, trust me. It can handle your speed," He pronounced, smugly and Sophia gave him a small smile and a thumbs up.

"Okay." And with that Barry started running, his body a blur as the treadmill went faster and faster and faster. Sophia was caught up in staring at Barry as his body moved so fast. It was amazing to see, and it still made her heart pump faster in excitement every time. The blur of red seemed to give off yellow-even golden perhaps- electricity as he ran.

"Heart rate, blood pressure, nerve conduction all normal," Caitlin announced out loud flicking through the pages on the tablet as new information came up the more Barry ran.

"Brainwave function within standard limits," Sophia called out from her station as they viewed Barry through the glass.

"I told you the treadmill could take it." Cisco laughed, clearly proud of himself. Sophia threw him a smile before moving across the room to another screen, when she found what she was looking for. If he was generating that much electricity as he ran, and he was using up all this energy to move at these speeds, then something would have to give. As she looked over the data she knew straight away what the issue was.

"Caitlin, take a look at his glucose levels," Sophia mentioned, motioning to the screen in front of them. Sophia squinted her eyes at the screen, watching it carefully as Barry kept running. His glucose levels were rapidly dropping the more he ran.

"Oh, my god. Of course," Caitlin said, in a 'duh' tone.

"Right, it was so obvious. Can't believe we didn't think of it before." Sophia face palmed. It right in front of their faces the whole time.

"Barry! We think we know why you keep- passing out," Caitlin said through the mic, as Barry literally fell backwards, hitting the padded wall as he collapsed again.

They managed to get him settled on the bed, and Sophia attached various IV bags to get fluids pumping through his system. Soon enough he regained consciousness and groaned yet again.

"I passed out _again_?" He asked to which they nodded.

"Total metabolic failure brought on by acute hypoglycaemia," Caitlin explained, tinkering with her tablet as she went through the calculations.

"I'm not eating enough," He concluded, laying back down on the bed and closing his eyes.

"So an IV bag and I'm good to go?" He figured, only to open his eyes as he heard Sophia's laughter. "Try 40 Allen."

"Guess you were thirsty," Cisco joked.

"We're gonna need to fashion you a new diet based on your metabolic changes. I've done a few calculations. You need to consume an amount equal to roughly 250 tacos, unless we're talking cheese and guac, which is like a whole other set of equations," Cisco trailed off to himself, getting way too excited about Mexican food, and Sophia had to admit that all this talk of taco's had her craving some.

"For Mexican, I recommend Tito's. On Bruckner Avenue? Best Burrito in the city," Joe said, walking into the cortex. As Sophia heard his voice she gulped and turned to look at Barry who had the same pained expression on his face.

"Detective West, what brings you to Star Labs?" Doctor Wells asked, even though it was painfully obvious.

"When I couldn't find you at your lab, I started doing a little research. Turns out there's been reports of a red streak around the city, stopping muggers, rescuing people from burning buildings," Joe said, in an accusing tone.

"You didn't tell him we were working together?" Wells inquired, turning to face Barry.

"Joe, I can explain," Barry started, but was cut off by Joe.

"You already have a job in law enforcement Barry, I suggest you get back to it," Joe said.

"Mm-hmm," Caitlin hummed in agreement, to which Joe looked at her with a 'are you serious' expression.

"Don't look at me, I'm on your side," She explained moving along.

"Detective, we all want what's best for Barry," Wells tried to explain only to be shot down.

"If you wanted what was best for Barry, you'd try to talk him out of this lunacy instead of encouraging him going out there and risking his life," Joe criticized, expecting more of the man sitting in the wheelchair, who knew how dangerous this line of work could be .

"You saw a man control the weather. What are the police going to do against someone like that?" Barry asked desperately. He was trying to convince Joe that what he was doing out there was important, and that there was no one else who could take his place.

"Since the accelerator explosion we suspect there may be more like him." Wells threw in.

"And you're gonna do what? Catch them? Are you insane? You think because you can run real fast that you're invincible? You're not! You're just a kid," Joe yelled, the argument was getting intense real fast, and Cisco, Caitlin and Sophia all sent wary glances to each other.

"My Kid," Joe finished softly. It wasn't that he didn't believe in Barry, it was that he was scared. Everything he thought was real was just flipped on its head, and he was scared that Barry would get injured, or worse, killed by being this vigilante of sorts.

"I'm not your kid, Joe. And you're not my father. My father's sitting in Iron heights, wrongfully convicted. You were wrong about him, and you're wrong about this. Now I may not be able to help him, but if I can save someone from a burning building or stop some armed thieves, I'm gonna do it."

"And you can't stop me, so don't try." And with that there was silence in the room before Joe finally spoke up again.

"You think you're so smart. All of you. But you don't know what you don't know. And I hope that you're clever enough to figure it out before somebody gets killed." And with that Joe walked out of the cortex, and there was a look of regret on Barry's face. Sophia bit her lip, and then walked out of the cortex, and after Joe.

"Detective West, wait," Sophia shouted as he walked out of the building. He turned around but was silent until she caught up to him.

"I'm sorry. I made a promise that I knew I couldn't keep. I know it's dangerous out there, and everything is so new, _but Barry_ ," she took a breath before continuing "Barry can save people. Today he saved a little girl from a burning building, and the day before that he saved a family from dying in a car accident, what I'm trying to say is, try to see it from his point of view. He just wants to help, and if he's going to do it, wouldn't it be better if he had the support, love and guidance from his father than without it?" she asked, with pleading eyes. Joe's face had softened but it was soon replaced with a stoic look she knew all too well.

"I'm not his father," Joe said with a tight voice that caused her to sigh and look down.

"You know he didn't mean that, he's just angry," she reasoned.

"He may have been angry, but he's right. I'm not his father, his real father is sitting in Iron heights and I help put him there." Joe finished before his phone started beeping. "I'm sorry I have to go." And with that he left. Sophia felt deflated that she couldn't help smooth things out. The argument between Barry and Joe seemed to have bad effects on both sides. She walked back into the cortex, to find that Barry was missing.

"Where did Allen go?" She asked Caitlin.

"CCPD called him into work," Caitlin explained to which she nodded.

"Well since I'm here and in this gorgeous dress, want me to help you with anything?" Sophia asked with a grin, hoping that she could at least help the team out since they all had a horrible morning.

"Sure, I could use some help re-stocking the medical cupboard and sorting out the drugs," Caitlin said with a small smile, connecting her arm with Sophia's as they walked through the halls of Star Labs and decided to catch up. They hadn't had much of a chance to do that since all of this meta-human business began.

They spoke mainly about mundane things, like if they had caught up on the latest episodes of their favourite TV shows, or what new recipes they had tried out through their weekly cooking. Sophia had an obsession with stir-fry dishes recently, and she had been dying to tell Caitlin about her new discoveries as she experimented with her cooking. The conversation then trailed off to the latest in regards to their superhuman workmate and what had happened that day, leading to a topic that was sensitive to both parties.

"I know the real reason you're angry at Barry," Sophia said softly, causing Caitlin to look at her as she placed the final box of epinephrine on the shelf. "It's the same reason I was angry at him this morning as well."

"And pray tell, what is that?" Caitlin asked, closing the door to the cabinet and locking it up.

"Ronnie… Anna… losing them like we did, it's changed us, and you were scared this morning when he got hurt, because you're comparing him to Ronnie," Sophia said carefully, hoping that Caitlin wouldn't take offence. When she saw Caitlin's shoulders shrink down in what looked like acceptance, she moved to give her a hug.

"I know what you're going through, and I just want to remind you that you're not in it alone." Caitlin wrapped her arms around Sophia, holding onto her tight.

"I'm sorry, it's just so hard," Caitlin whispered, holding back the tears as she thought about Ronnie.

"I know." The two girls stood there for a good few minutes, trying to comfort and support each other as best as they could, making a promise that they would make it through this together.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the CCPD, Barry heard the captain yelling orders at other officers as they rushed around in a frenzy.

"Captain, what's going on?" Barry asked in a rushed tone.

"Not now, Barry," the Captain sighed, he had enough on his plate right now and had on time to explain what was going on, but by the look on Barry's face he knew if he didn't tell him what was going on, he would waste more time trying to get rid of him.

"An armed gunman is shooting up Stagg industries," Singh explained walking into his office and trying to co-ordinate his detectives to get the problem sorted.

"Joe's there." Without wasting another moment Barry had suited up and ran at full force towards Stagg Industries. Yes he was angry with Joe right now but he would never ever let anything happen to him. He was there within seconds, and he pulled Joe down, covering him from a Bullet.

"I'll cover you. Ready? Go!" Barry yelled at Joe, pushing him towards the exit and covering him from the suspect Danton Black.

"Go!" He yelled again when Joe yelled "No," before he picked him up, rushed him out of the building and then came back to fight off the 6 men in black. Barry sped forward punching the man in front of him, only to have another be pushed straight out of him. He stood there bewildered for a moment and was caught off guard as he took a right hook to the face.

"Whoever you are, give yourself up," Barry yelled moving out of the way before he was hit by another fist flying towards his face.

"We are not going anywhere," one from the back said, before they all said together in a monotonous voice "Until Simon Stagg is dead." And with that they all rushed at Barry, punching and kicking anywhere and everywhere they could. It took all of Barry's strength to push them off enough to give himself time to speed out of there. His legs moved him out of there and he found himself outside leaning against a metal fence as he panted, ripping his mask off his face to reveal it was covered in cuts and bruises.

It was not even two minutes later and he was back in the med bay at Star Labs and Sophia was treating the cuts on his face. She dabbed antiseptic onto the cotton swabs and lightly patted his face, cleaning the blood off to make sure the wound didn't get infected.

Barry hissed in pain, his face scrunching up as the alcohol stung. "Sorry, should have warned you," She said in a soft voice. "The abrasions are already rapidly healing, it won't hurt for much longer," she smiled placing a hand on his shoulder and their gaze met for a moment before she removed her hand and went back to cleaning up the equipment.

Barry took a deep breath looking away before paying attention to everyone else in the room. "Yeah, I got my ass handed to me," he breathed out, not feeling confident at all in his ability at this point.

"You got blood on my suit," Cisco whined, as he cleaned up the red suit, which was quite hard considering since he couldn't really see half the blood that was on there.

"I think some of it belongs to him," Barry joked, as he moved which caused him to wince in pain.

"I'll get you some ice," Caitlin said grimacing at the bruise that was now clearly visible on his jaw.

"Another not-so-friendly meta-human," Cisco said in a sing-song voice.

"Danton Black," Wells pronounced, examining his profile on the computer.

"He's a bio-geneticist specialised in therapeutic cloning. Growing new organs to replace failing ones," Sophia explained, flicking through the profile on the tablet Cisco hooked her up with.

"Apparently Staff stole his research and then fired him," Caitlin said as she walked into the room, passing Barry the ice to which he gave her a grateful smile.

"I saw Black create duplicates from his own body."

"That's pretty ironic," Cisco remarked, "The guy specialised in cloning and now he can make Xeroxes of himself."

"If he was experimenting on himself when he was exposed to the dark matter wave released by the particle accelerator explosion-," Wells was talking when Cisco cut him off "Meet Captain Clone,"

"Don't worry, I'll come up with something cooler," He reassured everyone in the room, as Sophia barely kept in a laugh. Barry moved, getting up from his seat on the bed, and slipping on his jacket.

"Where are you going?" Caitlin asked him.

"Joe was right. I'm in way over my head. Yeah I'm fast, but I am no warrior. Man, I could barely fight one meta-human, let alone six," Barry said bitterly. He headed in this way too confidently, without having the power to back him up, and he had failed. Danton had taken him down easily, and there wasn't any speed that could match his clones, at least that's what Barry told himself.

"Barry you-," Sophia pleaded. He couldn't give up now, yes he needed work but that's the whole point of the team.

"I understand," Wells said, cutting her off. "Today was a setback, but any grand enterprise has them, and we can never learn to fly without crashing a few times."

"This wasn't a grand enterprise Dr. Wells. This was a mistake," He said with a flat tone, before leaving the cortex with his jaw clenched, and both girls sighed. Today was turning out to be a very emotional day, and Sophia hadn't even had her morning coffee. She glanced at the clock and found that it was only five pm, they were in for a long night.

"So what do we do now that our knight has left the board?"

"We find Black's weakness."

* * *

"Sophia, call Barry," Caitlin urged with a wary voice, and Sophia nodded vigorously, keeping her eyes trained on the figure in front, and shakily grabbing her phone out of her pocket.

"Y-Yeah, calling Barry," She held down the number two on her phone, speed dialling the man in red.

"Look, I told you I'm through," Barry said through the phone in a frustrated tone. He felt bad enough that he had given up, and he didn't need them calling him every few seconds to try and convince him to come back.

"I-I know, but you need to get to Star Labs _right now_ ," She rushed out, her voice in a tone of urgency which must have done the trick since he was there not even a second later, bringing a rush of air with him.

He stood right in front of her, in a protective stance as he looked at Danton Black's clone with wide eyes.

"Barry, it's okay." She grasped his shoulder.

"It's not okay, Black is here, and he's just- standing there," he trailed off, realisation setting in after the panic left.

"That's not him is it?" he asked, turning around to face Sophia, only to find that they were closer than he realised. She gulped moving back slightly before she lost her balance.

"It's one of his replicates," she replied as Caitlin went on to explain how he came to be.

"I isolated a sample of Black's blood from your suit to see if I could trigger the in vitro cultivation process and learn how black multiplies. So I exposed the target cells to a protein gel, and they began replicating into that," Caitlin provided the science download as everyone in the room inspected the Clone.

"Why isn't he doing anything?" Barry wondered, as they all stared at the clone.

"We did a brain scan, involuntary motor functions are active, little else," Sophia said.

"We think it's acting as a receiver, the clones are an empty shell without Black," Cisco continued to explain.

"Shut down the real Black, and you might shut them all down," Dr. Wells concluded.

"But how do we know which ones the real Danton Black?"

"That occurred to me given your own passing out. Black has limits, just like you. Controlling all of these clones must require a tremendous amount of physical strength. So, look for the one showing signs of weakness or fatigue, He's the prime."

"Just a theory, but one you might want to put to the test, Mr. Allen," Wells finalised.

"Plus, I whipped up these high calorie protein bars for you to keep your metabolism up!" Cisco exclaimed proudly.

"Ah!" Sophia screamed, with wide eyes as she grabbed onto Barry's arm when the clone moved forward, nearly grabbing onto her. A few gunshots rang into the air, and the clone crumpled to the ground, revealing Joe who was standing behind him, his gun aimed at the body.

"Any more of them?" Joe asked, and Caitlin replied with a "No," as Sophia suddenly let go of Barry embarrassed that she had held onto him. They both looked away from each other as Wells spoke.

"My guess is the prime is on the move, this one heard the summons to battle," Wells said, his words leaving a bad feeling in the pit of Sophia's stomach. She hoped that Barry was fast enough to beat Danton this time. If he wasn't, who would be?

"Stagg Industries," Joe muttered, causing them to all look at him.

"You should call it in," Barry said, looking at Joe.

"The police can't fight this. What Black's become, Like Mardon, beyond me. Maybe way beyond them too, the only person it's not beyond is you. You gotta do this," Joe breathed out, placing a hand on Barry's shoulder, and giving it a squeeze. After Sophia's speech, Joe had realised that Barry was just trying to do his best to keep everyone safe, and after the failed attempt to apprehend Black by the police, he knew that the only person who could stop him was Barry.

"I get it," Barry said, a wide grin forming on his face.

"So for once in your life, do what I tell you to do. Go stop him," Joe said proudly, and Barry was gone in a flash.

The rest of the team hovered above the computers, Cisco setting up the communication between them and the suit and Caitlin monitoring Barry's vitals whilst Sophia looked up the floor plans for Stagg Industries and the two older men watched over in fascination as they moved so fast, anticipating what would happen next.

Barry tried his best to talk Danton out of it, but he was adamant at getting his revenge on Stagg after his wife died. There was a lot of grunting on the com line and Barry seemed to get in a few good shots, but not until Danton released what seemed to be nearly a hundred versions of himself to fight Barry.

"Ah!" Barry grunted, as he was hit again before zooming off to a higher vantage point in the building, looking down upon the mass crowd of clones. They ran forward, the huge mass coming straight for him, some on lower levels, others climbing up the stairs and ready to end it all.

"Remember, Barry. Find the prime," Wells directed, trying to guide Barry as best as he could.

"There's too many of them to fight," Barry shouted through his mic.

"Barry, you need to isolate the prime," Wells repeated, slipping his glasses off and rubbing a hand down his face.

"I can't. It's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible Barry. You taught me that. You can do this." There was a lot of yelling, grunting and heavy breathing before a throaty laugh came through the line.

"Barry, Barry, are you alright?" Sophia asked, repeating his name when she didn't hear a response.

"I'm fine, it's done," Barry laughed in relief.

"Hang on! No! Don't!" They heard him yell, the panic back in his voice. That was the last thing they all heard before Barry came back into the cortex, slightly deflated. Danton had jumped.

Cisco turned on the TV, to show the news broadcasting from Stagg Industries, with the crime scene in view. "Central City police officials are now confirming former employee Danton Black-." Cisco turned it off, everyone knowing the rest of the story.

"I tried to save him," Barry whispered. He felt responsible for what happened. Danton had failed, and had lost his wife. He had nothing left to live for, especially considering the rest of his days would be spent inside a jail cell. So Danton had jumped out of the broken window, falling to his death where he hoped he would be reunited with his wife.

"Doesn't sound like he wanted to be saved," Joe said, trying to reassure Barry that he couldn't have done anything to change what happened.

"Some people, when they break, they can't be put together again. Some people heal even stronger."

"I hope so," Barry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, at least multiplex won't be able to hurt anyone else," Cisco said smoothly from his chair, giving Sophia a wink, "Told you I'd come up with a cooler name."

"Yeah, I may be the one in the suit doing all the running, but when I'm out there helping people, making a difference, You're all out there with me," Barry confessed, bringing a smile to all of their faces.

"Finally realised something today, we were all struck by that lightning." Smiles were beaming, and teeth gleaming as they all enjoyed the moment. Well at least until Sophia's phone beeped and started to play uptown funk, interrupting the moment. With wide eyes she grabbed her phone from the desk, turning the alarm off in a flash with embarrassment, and then proceeded to groan.

"Well, just as you finished with the saving quota for the day, I just got called back into work to do just that," She sighed, before looking back at the time, "Crap, I'm meant to be there in ten!" she yelled in realisation, grabbing her heels from the table which she took off because they were starting to hurt. She turned around momentarily, seeing Cisco laugh at her reaction before she was picked up and sped off in a blur.

She couldn't describe the feeling. Barry's arms were around her waist, and it felt like she was moving through the air, and before she could comprehend it she was at her front door causing her to gasp as Barry placed her on the ground, releasing her from his hold.

"Whoa," she whispered, holding onto Barry's arm to keep her grounding. Her hair brown was windswept, and her mouth in a 'o' shape as she tried to regain her senses.

"Yeah," Barry grinned, trying not to laugh at the gobsmacked look on her face.

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"You just-."

"Thought you'd want to make your shift reasonably on time," Barry said, giving her a heart-melting smile.

"A little warning next time would be nice, but thanks Allen."

"Guess it's my way of making it up to you, after all I did spill coffee all over you when we first met."

"Well technically when we first met you were unconscious, nearly brain dead and I was trying to get your heart beating again," She blabbed, before pausing, giving him an awkward smile which caused them to both laugh.

"So not really anything conventional, but who cares. Thanks for being there for me when I didn't believe in myself," Barry admitted shyly.

"Hey, as long as you get me coffee next time we speak, I don't mind," She teased, unlocking her door.

"You got it Lang. Go save lives," Barry said with a beaming smile, saluting her as he zoomed out of there, not giving her a chance to reply. With wind swept hair, and a gleaming grin on her pink lips she shut the door, running off to be a hero in her own way.

 **A/N:**

 **And voila, chapter two!**

 **This chapter was meant to be posted on like the 17/12 but you're getting it a few days early because the WiFi in my area has gone down and won't be up for at least another week. I'm at a friend's house, so taking the opportunity to post this early rather than later.**

 **Thanks to all who followed, added this story to their favourites, and reviewed. It's really what motivates a writer, and it's always appreciated, and it's something that will definitely get me posting faster. ;) *hint**

 **Glad to see that you're liking the character so far. Can't wait til we get knee deep in some of the more juicy stuff in the next few chapters. So expect another update, say on the 20/12 unless my internet goes back up before that.**

 **So again, special thanks to** _ **Guest (1), highlander348, princessmagic, ashevillain and Guest (2)**_ **for leaving reviews. It really brings a smile to my face. Love you guys.**

 **And special mention to** _ **alexstarlight18, arianna le fay, princessmagic, alexmariewinchester, corallynblack, inescc, jaimevilla2001, kawaiixkisses, superfarway and jcsheidt**_ **for favouriting and following the story.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue.**


	3. Hold Your Breath

CHAPTER THREE

It had been about three weeks since Sophia started working full time with the team at Star Labs. She honestly didn't know how it happened. After working with the team and Barry, things just seemed to click and Wells insisted on her participation whenever she wasn't working at the hospital, which was easier said than done. She usually worked a 12 hour shift, went home to sleep for a few hours, and then headed off to Star Labs where she would co-ordinate with Cisco to help alert Barry to emergencies that were a task for 'the streak' as the internet was calling it. Her role on the team was simple, she was mainly working the computers with Cisco, or patching up Barry when he came back with an injury… which was basically always.

Despite the fact that it took a strenuous amount of effort to get to both places, and still find time to somehow manage her own personal life, she found that it was so rewarding. She got to save lives during the day, and then at night as well with people that she considered to be her closest friends. She found that she had learnt a lot from being around them. She learnt what it meant to be brave, in a different sense. The adventures they went on together were beyond exhilarating even though they were also absolutely terrifying. But Sophia knew that these would be memories that she would look back on, and be proud of, because they were making a difference.

She had thrown on her most comfortable pair of pants, and a red hoodie before grabbing all the junk food she could find in her house, stuffing most of it in her handbag, and using her hands to pick up her cat Chewie and bring her along. She hadn't seen her for the most part of three days since she had been so busy, and she was sure that it would be nice to get out of the house for a little while- that and Cisco absolutely adored her cat, and _insisted_ that she bring Chewie with her.

It was currently 8:49pm and she was chilling in Star Labs with Caitlin and Cisco. They were snacking on gummy bears, and playing cards when Cisco's computer started beeping frequently. They stopped what they were doing and leaned over the metal table peering up at the computer in interest.

"What's the red dot mean?" Sophia asked, popping another gummy bear in her mouth, as Cisco expertly wheeled over in his chair, around the desk.

" _Eh_ , not sure, but not good. Dial Barry," Cisco mumbled trying to swallow the handful of sweets that were in his mouth, as he typed furiously on the keyboard trying to figure out what was going on.

"Sure thing captain," she fake saluted before pressing a few buttons and connecting the call.

"Hello," Barry greeted through the line to which she replied with a "Hell-"before she was cut off by Cisco.

"Code 237 on Waid Boulevard." Cisco rushed out, and Sophia rolled her eyes. So much for pleasantries.

"Public indecency?" Barry asked in confusion to which Caitlin looked over at the two shrugging. Sophia leaned back in her seat, leaving the job to Cisco, considering she had no idea what the red dot was indicating.

"Wait, I think I mean a 239," Cisco corrected, a contemplative look on his face. He wasn't so good at these law enforcement codes just yet.

"Dog leash violation?" and at this Sophia couldn't contain her laughter anymore, giggling as Barry's voice came through the line, smiling sheepishly when Cisco glared at her.

"Bad man, with a gun, in a getaway car. Go," Caitlin said, and with that Barry sped off, dealing with the car chase in no time, surprising them all.

"Done! I've gotta go, out with Iris. I'll see you later," Barry said before hanging up.

"Now that was what I call fast. We'll now that we have completed our quota for the day who would like to play a game of poker?" Cisco asked, pulling out a set of cards from his locked drawer. _So that's what he keeps in there_ Sophia thought.

"On one condition, we don't bet with money, we bet with those chocolate flavoured popcorn snacks I saw hiding in your bag," Caitlin said with a tone of finality. Sophia looked over in contemplation and smiled agreeing with her, they both then looked over to Cisco to see him with a pained expression on his face, obviously not wanting to let go of what looked like a delicious treat.

"Fine, _but_ if I win, you guys are shouting drinks later," Cisco said, dealing the cards.

"Who said anything about you winning?" Sophia winked, and Caitlin grinned wickedly as they enjoyed their night off.

* * *

Sophia woke up the next morning with a raging headache. Why might you ask? After she had won the game, she still decided to head out and buy a few drinks for them all, and she might have had a little bit too much. Guaranteed, it hadn't been her finest decision of the night, but she was enjoying herself, and it was a nice escape from the world, if only for a little while. She honestly didn't remember how she made it back to her apartment, only that she was dressed in her shorts and a singlet as she slept, meaning that Caitlin had probably taken her home and helped her get changed.

She rolled over in bed, wanting to just lay there for the rest of eternity…well not literally but it was getting close to that. She pried one eye open with her hand and checked her the time on her phone which was resting on her night stand. It was 9:00 am and in big block letters her alarm sign flashed, warning her that if she wasn't up in the next few minutes she would be late to work… which wasn't a good sign.

She pulled herself up, swinging her legs onto the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. She dragged herself to the bathroom where she went in for a nice refreshing shower. The hot droplets of water fell in waves, rolling down the nape of her neck, trickling warmth down her back, relieving the tension immediately. The steam woke her up, making her feel more refreshed than before. As she scrubbed her body with all sorts of lovely scented soaps, she made a mental list of the tasks she had to get done that day. She needed to pop by the post office, and send off some paperwork to her dad who lived in Kansas, figuring it would be best to do that after her shift. She then also mentally noted that she needed to pick up some milk on the way home, remembering that she was out of it; that and her stash of chocolate.

Soon she was dressed in her navy blue scrubs, with her handbag in arm and her keys in her hand. It wasn't a long drive to the hospital, but when she got upstairs to her ward to sign in she had to bump into the one person she didn't want to see. He stood there, wearing his dark blue scrubs, arms crossed and a letter in hand. His hair was askew and he had a grimace on his face, and Sophia knew something was bound to go wrong in the next few minutes.

"Brian," Sophia said in a flat tone as he stopped her from moving forward by stepping in front of her. She side stepped him trying to move and he blocked her again. In her head she counted to three, waiting for him to move before she exploded. According to her dad, she was usually a very calm person, quite patient and kind. But when that one person rubbed her the wrong way, there was no going back, and miss cranky pants came out.

"Seriously?" She stopped, crossing her arms. He was always a pain in the ass. And just because he held a higher rank he always felt like he could tell everyone around her to do whatever he wanted, without legitimate reasoning. He liked to pick on everyone working there, especially the women. Bloody misogynist, always finding ways to degrade and bully the female staff working under his management. She honestly didn't know how someone who didn't have a compassionate bone in their body could become a nurse.

"Sophia," he greeted, his penetrating voice causing Sophia to wince at how loud he was speaking. He always had that effect on people, and she just felt sorry for the patients he took care of, especially if they had hearing problems, because he tended to speak even louder if he knew they were partially deaf.

"Yes Brian," she answered with a honeyed voice, trying to be as polite as she could without wanting to punch him in the face. She was never this violent, but Brian was just a walking case of bad news…and B.O.

"You aren't required at the hospital today, but instead to take the shift at Iron Heights," Brian told her matter-of-factly as though she had no choice whatsoever.

"Excuse me-," She stopped taking a deep breath trying to compose herself. She worked a double shift this week alone in Emergency so that she wouldn't have to work the shift at the prison.

"I've done my part this week, it's not my turn to work the prisons and you know that," she tried to reason as calmly as possible. She gritted her teeth, her jaw clenching and all when Brian pulled out a piece of paper signed by their unit manager saying that she was to be completing the shift off home base.

"Not according to this," he said handing her the paper, "It'll only be for 12 hours every fortnight, or every week as needed," he said with a smug look on his face, as though he enjoyed the pain he was putting her through.

"What?! That's not fair and you know it, it's meant to go around the whole ward, the max I should have to do is one every few months!" she whispered aggressively, trying not to draw attention from others in the workplace. This was a disaster. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel her anxiety settling in. _Please don't have an anxiety attack, please don't_ her thoughts begged.

"You have been late to work multiple times in the last month, and as punishment you are doing extra shifts at the prison that no one else wants. So basically you have two options here Lang, you can either do the work or I'll make sure you personally lose your license to practice." Sophia didn't reply, just snatched the paper out of Brian's hand before shoving past him and moving to the break room, feeling relieved that the room was empty, and she could at least be angry in peace.

 _Deep breaths_ she told herself. She could get through this. _No I can't_ a small part of her whispered. She closed the door of the break room, and instead turned it into her own person breakdown room. She slid down the door, breathing hard, her breaths coming in and out irregularly and heavy. She grabbed her asthma puffer from her pocket and took two puffs, breathing in deeply and the crushing feeling in her chest started to ease, and she could breathe clearer than before. Though this was the case, there was a still a deep pit of anxiety bubbling up in her stomach, causing her to feel nauseous.

 _Come on, you just have to suck it up._ She rubbed a hand down her face and figured the best way to approach this was to just block off all her emotions. _Just go in, do the job and get out_. She wouldn't even have to go to that part of the prison. At least she hoped she didn't.

She took a look at the paper that Brian had given her, only noticing now that half of it was crumpled in her hand. She frowned slightly before trying to straighten out the paper and see what time's she'd be working. _Ugh_ she groaned. She'd be there for nearly eight hours. How many sick prisoners were there? Just as she was composing herself, her phone rang and she checked her called ID to see that it was Barry. She contemplated ignoring the call, but there was a nagging voice in her head; _what if it's an emergency?_ She sighed deeply before picking up and trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Hey," she murmured, and then scrunched her face, realising how bummed out she sounded. What would she say if he asked, if anyone asked? Caitlin knew, but that was only because she had confessed her fears to her when she cried night after night about Anna's death. She wasn't sure what she would even say if he asked.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked, in concern. _Damn you,_ he had caught onto things surprisingly quickly. She closed her eyes, and figured it was best to lie. _Is it really?_ She lied, and prayed that the voice in her head would shut up, and soon.

"Yeah, What's up Allen?" She asked hoping to distract him from asking further questions about her current state of mind.

"I-I was just wondering if you were free to come down to the CCPD and help me analyse some data for a new case," Barry rushed out and she smiled instantly at his cute demeanour. "I could use some extra eyes on the bio data."

"I'd love to but I have to get to Iron Heights."

"What?" Barry nearly shrieked in concern, or just general panic, she wasn't sure.

"I should have given context," she mumbled, "Just working a shift, Brian told me this morning," she continued in a flat tone, her left hand fidgeting against her legs, as she tapped them impatiently, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Who's Brian?" Barry asked, a bit too quickly, if you asked Sophia.

"My asshole manager from work, no need to get jealous Barry," she teased, and with his next reply she could just imagine the tint of red on his cheeks and the way he stuttered his words whenever he was nervous, stuck on an never ending rollercoaster of rambling.

"I-I wasn't-." and she laughed telling him she was joking.

"Guess I'll ask Caitlin," he resigned, and she hummed in agreement. "You sure you're alright?" he asked again, catching her off guard.

"I-I It's just that-," she tried to explain when he stopped her "If you don't want to tell me you don't have to, I just want to know that you're alright… you know since you're my friend and all." Barry was too kind and she couldn't help but notice the warm feeling rumbling in her chest.

"No, I-I it's probably good to talk about it right?" she said in a wobbly voice. "The day after the accelerator exploded, I found out that my best friend died. She was killed in a hit and run. T-the guy who did it is sitting in Iron Heights, alive- and what I'm just supposed to go over there and take care of him like I would with any other patient, when he's the reason my friend is dead?" With that a tear slid down her cheek and she wiped at it furiously. The whole situation was unfair. It was official, the universe hated her right now. She wanted to be stubborn, she wanted to be angry, but all she could feel at this point now was the emptiness in her heart as she remembered her friend, and the tragic events of that day. She wondered if Caitlin felt this way when she worked at Star Labs, after all, that was where Ronnie was killed. She didn't know how Caitlin handled it, and she would gladly accept pointers.

"Where are you right now?" Barry asked, his steady voice coming through the line, which was the only thing distracting her from her thoughts right now.

"The break room at CC hospital… why?" she asked, and before she knew it Barry was standing in front of her, viewing her tear stained face and all. She put her phone down and he brought her into a big hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he slid his around her waist, holding onto her tight. She nestled her head into the crook of his neck and he nearly squirmed because her hair was ticklish, but in a good way. She could feel his pulse, steady and strong. She listened to it, focused on it, and took deep breaths as she tried to calm down.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his shoulder, taking comfort in the warmth of his hug, tightening her arms around him, leaving virtually no space between their bodies.

"No need to thank me, I understand what it's like," Barry said, and they stood there hugging for what one might consider longer than appropriate for 'just friends' but neither moved until there was knocking on the door of the room, and jostling of the door handle, a loud groan from outside when the person realised that it was locked. Obviously someone wanted to come inside, but Sophia had locked it when she ran in there to have some privacy. They broke apart awkwardly and she sniffed, motioning to the door.

"We should probably-."

"Yeah, hold on," Barry said, unlocking the door, then moving to pick her up in his arms, leaving a surprised expression on her face, as she quickly gripped onto the lapels of his jacket, trying to hold on as they moved.

"That's not what-," whoosh. "-I meant," she finished as they were now standing on the rooftop of the hospital, with the sun beaming down on them and the bright blue sky the new backdrop to their conversation.

"Sorry," Barry grinned sheepishly and with those puppy dog eyes that no one could stay angry at.

"No, it's fine. Thanks, I needed that," she gave him a smile.

"What the adrenaline rush?" he teased, a smirk on his lips and she shook her head.

"No, the hug," she whispered tucking her hands in the pockets of her pants.

"Be strong, I know it's hard but just be strong for yourself, be strong for your friend," Barry said, tucking his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He knew the pain she was feeling, and he knew that it wasn't something that you could get over easily. He constantly relied on Joe and Iris to be that support when he was younger, and he knew that he wouldn't have been able to cope without them, so he didn't hesitate to be there for Sophia.

"Thank you for the sage advice," she jested, brushing some hair out of her face. She hoped that she didn't look like she had been crying. She knew that when she cried, her eyes would easily get irritated, and turn red, and her cheeks would usually become splotchy and pink, with tear stains. But as she carefully rubbed underneath her eye, she was glad to feel that there were no water streaks to be found.

"My pleasure Miss Lang,"

"Oh is that how it is now Mr Allen?"

They laughed and the smile slowly fell from her face as she looked at her nurse's watch, checking the time.

"I should leave now if I want to get there on time," she mentioned and he nodded. As they walked down the stairs and out of the building he quickly filled her in on the situation they had presently at Star Labs in regards to another meta-human. His name was Kyle Nimbus, former hitman for crime families in Central City. Nimbus had been executed the day of the particle accelerator explosion. At least that's what the records said. Something had gone wrong, and he had attained abilities that day, surviving the gas execution that was planned. Apparently he was now going after people that were involved in arranging his death, including those who didn't fight for him to stay alive. Sophia made Barry promise that he would be careful, to which he did, and in turn he promised to keep her updated on the 'gassy' meta-human as she was calling it for now.

She just needed to be strong, after all she had to face her fears one way or another.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the day and she only had one more patient to visit. Fortunately she hadn't had to encounter what she had feared the most that day which set her at ease, she knew eventually it would happen but at this point all she cared about was that she had time, time to come to terms with it all. Looking on her list she checked the final name, and it was Henry Allen. She rose an eyebrow in surprise. She knew that Barry's dad was at Iron Heights but she had never met him before. This made her slightly nervous because she didn't want to make a fool of herself and most importantly she didn't want Barry to feel as though she was invading his privacy and prying into his personal life, since he had only spoken about his father a few times, and briefly at that. The guard ushered Henry into the confined med bay in which she was conducting her work.

"Sophia Lang, I'll be your nurse for today," She said, introducing herself.

"Henry Allen, but you already know that," he replied with a charming smile and she gave one back and motioned for the guard to take his hand cuffs off.

"Ma'am it's for your own safety," the guard replied, hesitant to remove the cuffs, saying it was against protocol.

"Well I certainly can't assess what might be a fractured wrist if you don't remove the cuffs," she rebutted, crossing her arms and giving the guard a death stare. "He isn't going anywhere, and as soon as I'm done, the cuffs can go back on." He sighed and walked over, removing the cuffs before standing back in his position by the door, keeping a watchful eye on Henry's movements.

"Thank you," Henry said, rubbing his wrists slightly before wincing in pain. Sophia got to work straight away, taking down his observations first before moving onto what looked like a very badly bruised wrist.

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how painful is it?" she asked, inspecting his wrist with her gloved hand. She knew that he would need a doctor's opinion on it after she was done. She made sure to note it down on the patient notes that he needed a physician's examination as well. Nurses did most of the work at Iron Heights prison, an on-call doctor only visited twice a week, so she hoped that he would be checked out sooner, rather than later, as not to aggravate the injury further and cause more problems.

"It doesn't hurt that much," he said as she touched the bruised area, putting a light pressure on it which caused him to grimace, and her to give him a "are you serious" look. "Come on Mr. Allen, you know how this process works." She said referring to his time as a doctor, and he sighed, knowing that she was going to push for him to be checked out.

"It's –Uh- probably a 6," he said honestly and she nodded before grabbing the medication from her kit.

"I'll give you two of these now, and I'll make sure to have them put with your daily meal for the next few days," she explained passing him the tablets. "I'll have the LMO check it out when they're in next. It's not fractured, but from what I can tell, it looks like a radial sprain which can hurt just as bad… how did this happen?" Sophia asked, concerned for his wellbeing. The nature of the injury and the environment Henry was living in didn't ease her worry at all. When Henry didn't answer straight away she asked again.

"Was it an inmate?"

"No, it wasn't," Henry stated, clenching his jaw slightly. Judging by his response, and facial expressions, he was telling the truth but he was with holding something… and then it clicked, and when it did, it sent a rage of fury rushing through her veins. Regardless of an inmate's innocence or not, they're vulnerable to attacks from other prisoners or staff, and that shouldn't be the case, they should be safe here as they served out their set punishment, not have more inflicted on them.

"Was it a guard?" she asked frankly with a strong stare, only to receive a sigh from Henry.

"Who was it?" her tone was solid, there was no way she was letting this go. Hearing Barry's story about his father, and knowing that this poor innocent man had spent over a decade in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and then to receive this treatment. It was off the table.

"I-I can't." But she knew he could so she cut him off.

"Henry, I can't help you if you don't help me. Do you know the name of the person who did this?" She asked again, giving him a stern look that reminded him of Nora whenever she was angry with him, and it broke him. He looked down, and sighed deeply before meeting her concerned gaze.

"Jones," Henry confessed the name of the guard. "Listen honey, I don't want you to get yourself into trouble, so don't worry about it, I'm fine. Honestly Sophia." Henry was worried now that she would go and confront the man herself.

"It's not nothing," she breathed out before giving him a strong look of what one might call faith. "Don't worry about me, I've got friends in high places. He won't be bothering you anymore after tonight," she promised. Figuring there wasn't much she could do with no evidence of the encounter, as well as an inmate's word versus the word of a guard, she planned to tell Barry. She was sure that he wouldn't disagree to zooming into the prison and roughing up a few guards if it meant that they would leave his dad alone.

"As long as you promise me you won't get involved personally," Henry demanded. He wasn't about to let Barry's new friend get hurt because of something that happened to him. He had spoken to Barry recently about her, and Henry knew that his son had made a good choice by befriending the young girl with a strong heart. She was caring, and compassionate, and there was a fire inside of her that showed Henry, his son was in safe hands. He knew that while Barry was in a coma for 9 months, that he was being taken care of at Star Labs by their team, and he was forever thankful, and grateful that such kind-hearted people were taking care of his boy when he wasn't able to.

"I promise," she smiled, and the conversation then turned to how Barry met Sophia.

"Barry told me about it, said you saved his life, and I have to thank you. You saved my boy," Henry confessed with a sincerity in his voice that nearly made her cry. She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him, not being able to see or visit Barry the whole time he was in a coma. She just gave him a small smile and told him it was nothing, but he didn't seem to think so.

"I was just doing my job."

"Regardless, thank you Sophia." And she nodded appreciating it.

"Well, everything else seems to be fine. You already know, but make sure to keep pressure of that wrist of yours. I'll make sure the guard doesn't put your cuffs back on that wrist. I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem," Sophia explained before going to the guard from before and having a discussion with him about it, basically telling him to do what she said and that if he didn't she'd be having a frank discussion with his superior officer and report him to the DA who happened to be her godmother. The guard just looked at her with wide eyes, and nodded eagerly, hoping not to get into trouble.

"Take care Mr Allen," she yelled across the hallway as the guard escorted him to his cell. She got a few weird looks from other guards down the hall but ignored them. Henry threw her a grateful smile and gave her a slight nod before turning back around as he was guided down the hall. Sophia sighed and looked down at her watch. Nearly time to go home she mused to herself. She was there for a little while longer, filling out documentation and packing some new medications into the cabinet, making sure to lock it and give the key to the right person. Finally done with her work for the day she only took a few minutes before she had packed up all her stuff, swinging her shoulder bag across her back as she made her way to the front of the prison, she honestly couldn't wait to get out of there. She couldn't wait to get home and just go to sleep, but she figured she should go to Star Labs and check up on her favourite speedster and company and see how they were going with their 'gassy' villain as she liked to put it. She wondered if Cisco had come up with a nickname for the meta-human yet.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket to see Cisco's name flash on her screen, with a blurry selfie of herself and Cisco taken nearly a year ago.

"Speak of the devil," she murmured before swiping right and answering the call.

"To what do I owe this pleasure Mr Ramon?" Sophia joked, as she walked through the hall, flashing her ID card to the guards as they let her through the sealed section, a buzzing noise going off as she walked through.

"Are you still at Iron Heights?" Cisco rushed out quickly, ignoring her little hello. She huffed and answered with a disinterested tone.

"Yeah, just about to leave now… why?" She asked, curious as to why he sounded winded.

"Nimbus is coming for Joe. He's visiting Barry's dad right now!" Cisco yelled into the phone. Sophia instantly went into panic mode.

"Someone needs to warn him, I'm on it," Sophia breathed out, hanging up before Cisco could protest. If she had left the phone call on she would have heard Cisco groan and Barry yell for her not to go. Whilst Barry was running over to the prison, Sophia had already made it to the front room, with the visitor's room right next door. As she rushed into the front room of the prison she saw who she assumed to be Nimbus slip through the door- literally. He had changed into his gas form, the green mist seeping under and into the protected confines of the prison. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest as she stood merely three feet away from the killer… a meta-human killer her brain added.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, and her wide eyes flickered in the direction of the room Joe was in. She had to distract Nimbus even for a minute, giving Barry enough time to get there and stop him before he got to Joe. She prayed that this wouldn't end up with both her and Joe dead, but she had to do something. She couldn't let someone else die, especially someone who had been so kind to her over the last year.

"Hey gassy man!" she yelled, grabbing his attention as he ignored her and moved towards the room where Joe was. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, her sudden courage had dissipated, and was replaced by fear. She had not thought this through properly…the panic was starting to sink in. She gulped as he turned his head in her direction, a dark look on his face as he clenched his jaw. He didn't move, only stared at her head on. She figured he was going to hurt her whether or not she did anything to stop him now since she called him "gassy man"… may as well stick with the plan and stall him til Barry arrived.

"I thought you were supposed to be dead, Nimbus." She prodded, and it seemed to press all the right buttons because his focus was completely on her now. He moved towards her, and away from his original destination, his hands clenching into the form of a fist.

"Turns out luck was in my favour that night, can't say the same about you sweetheart," he sneered with a devilish smirk on his lips. He morphed into the green mist, becoming larger as the mass cloud moved towards her. Sophia brought her forearms above her head in a protective position, holding her breath as he moved closer. She squeezed her eyes closed, praying "Hey gassy man" wouldn't be one of her last words. What happened next was beyond believable for her, and unfortunately she wouldn't remember this moment for a long time due to a lovely little thing the mind does called _memory repression_. An illuminating light sprouted from her hands, like a pulse, sending a wave of energy in Nimbus's direction and forcing him back into his human form, pushing him against the wall behind him. He hit the wall with a loud thud as the energy basically punched him, groaning as he pushed himself up and off the ground, his eyes glaring at the girl who had attacked him.

Sophia slowly opened her eyes, one at a time, not sure of what just happened but she was freaking out. _Did I just do that?_ Before she had time to react, Nimbus was back up and he attacked her with a force that had her winded. The emerald mist was all around her, blurring her vision and suffocating her lungs. She had inhaled the mist… she literally had one job and now she was probably going to die what could be one of the most painful deaths on the list of ways not to die. Her lungs burned, like someone had poured acid down her throat, and she couldn't breathe. She collapsed to the ground, her right hand clutching her chest and her other hand on the ground, holding her up. Her vision swirled, and she reached out to Nimbus as he walked past and through the door to Joe when she saw a scarlet blur speed past, stopping in a crouched position in front of her. She could barely register that Barry had gotten there, his panicked face was coming in and out of focus before she tried to choke out for him to go save Joe instead of worrying about her.

"J-Joe," she wheezed out, pleading for Barry to get to Joe before it was too late. He grabbed onto her arm, holding her in place before she fell on the floor.

"I need to give you the antidote before it's too late," Barry rushed out, pulling out a large needle, and before she could even register him injecting with her with whatever was in there, she had blacked out, swirling into a world of darkness, the pain slowly ebbing away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Barry had lured Nimbus out of the prison and onto the road outside. Joe was uninjured thanks to Sophia. Besides being a little shaken up he was fine, and looking after Sophia who was still unconscious. He had called the ambulance, and they were just waiting for them to arrive so she could be transferred to the hospital. Joe gripped her hand, a look of concern on his face as he watched over her. She had saved his life, and he was so grateful.

Barry on the other hand promised himself that he was going to have a stern conversation with her. He couldn't believe that she just ran into the line of fire like that. His heart swelled in both admiration and worry. She had basically saved Joe's life, but at what cost? Barry wasn't sure. All he was sure of right now was that Nimbus was going down. He hurt so many innocent people already, he went after Joe, and he hurt Sophia and he had enough.

"You need to stay away from him Barry!" Cisco exclaimed on the other side of the com.

"Don't breathe him in," Dr. Wells warned. Now that Barry had used up the only antidote he had on Sophia, he couldn't risk being exposed to the mist again, otherwise it might be the end of the road for the speedster.

"I'm not sure how that helps me guys," Barry exclaimed frustrated, as he zoomed back and forth on the road as Nimbus came at him. He felt like it was pointless. He would run towards Nimbus and then the guy would just dissipate in and out of his mist form, making it virtually impossible to get in a hit.

"You can't fight him Barry, just keep him coming at you." So that's what Barry did, running back and forth trying to tire him out. Nimbus landed a few punches, hitting Barry in the stomach causing him to bend over groaning as he tried to run away before he breathed the mist in. That had already happened once that day and he was not willing to relive the traumatic experience.

"This meta-human will not be able to stay in his mist form for long, his particles will need to reform." Dr. Wells advised. Their fight continued as Barry ran, carefully getting in a few hits as Nimbus was forced to come back down to his human form. His hits seemed to be working because soon enough Nimbus had reverted back to his human form for much longer than before, and Barry didn't give him a chance to catch his breath before he gave him a strong right hook to the jaw, knocking the bastard out. Adrenaline was still pumping throughout Barry's veins and he sighed with a laugh in relief. They defeated Nimbus together.

"Barry?"

"We win," Barry breathed in relief. Barry took care of Nimbus, taking him back to Star Labs where Cisco made sure he was locked up in their new prison. Once that was done he was back in civilian clothes and on his way to Central City Hospital where Joe was watching over Sophia.

He gulped nervously as he walked through the hall of the hospital wing, spotting Iris as she was just leaving. Iris smiled, hugging Barry, and passing on the message that Joe was waiting in room 301 where Sophia was resting. Both of them were so thankful for Sophia. She had become a good friend to them both, and Iris laughed calling Sophia her knight in shining armour, as she had saved her best friend and her father.

Barry just hoped that she would be alright. He carefully turned the door knob, walking into her private room, to see Joe sitting on the chair beside her bed.

"Hey," Barry greeted, giving Joe a tight hug, holding on for longer than necessary. He could have lost him tonight, and he was so thankful that he didn't.

"Hey, she's holding up okay. The doctors said she should wake up soon, they put her on some oxygen because the gas seemed to aggravate her asthma, and even with the antidote her lungs nearly collapsed." Joe brought Barry up to speed, as Barry grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it up by her bedside. Barry just looked at her with a small smile, as he sighed deeply.

"She saved my life," Joe spoke softly breaking the silence as they both looked at their friend who looked very pale lying in that hospital bed. It was odd seeing her as a patient, because usually she was the one running around healing the sick people, not the other way around.

"I know," Barry nearly laughed as he continued talking "She went rushing in as soon as she heard Nimbus was on his way, she was coming to warn you." Barry's eyes flickered over her, watching the rise and fall of her chest as her breathing was normalising. He grasped her hand, rubbing the smooth skin softly not knowing what else he could do for her but be there. Joe looked at Barry, and he knew instantly what that look on Barry's face meant and it made him smile, glad that he had made a new friend, someone he knew would be sticking around for a long time.

"She's a strong girl, she'll get through this," Joe reassured Barry.

"I know, but I feel guilty that I didn't get there on time, I was meant to protect you both and now she's paying the price," Barry vented, and Joe placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Knowing Barry there was no way he would get back to his normal self til Sophia was back to normal.

"I'm going to grab some coffee," Joe mentioned and Barry gave him a nod as he walked out.

As Joe walked out of the room, Barry looked back at Sophia, and just hoped that she would wake up soon and walk it off. He regenerated fast but that was only because of his speed. Sophia was a normal human, and all of the others that had been exposed to the mist had died. He didn't realise how tired the fight had made him, but slowly his eyes became droopy, and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, his hand still gripping Sophia's.

* * *

Sophia slowly came to consciousness, her body waking up after what felt like a long nap. She felt a pressure on her chest, and as she scrunched her nose, eyes still closed she could feel something on her face. She kept her eyes closed for a moment longer, trying to figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered was Nimbus attacking the prison, and then blacking out. There was a warmth in her right hand that she couldn't explain and she figured she should just open her eyes and see what was going on, but she was too lazy. She left it for another few minutes before she pried her eyes open, one at a time.

Her right eye opened slightly as she squinted, and she spotted Barry sitting in a visitors chair next to her bed. His head was resting on his shoulder, his brown hair tousled as he slept. She couldn't help but smile underneath her oxygen mask. His left hand was resting in hers, fingers intertwined with her own, providing comfort and security. She blinked sleepily, wanting to rub her eyes, but afraid that if she moved she would wake him up. She turned her head to her left, checking the monitor. Her oxygen levels were back up to a reasonable range, she figured the mask could come off for a while. She slipped her right hand out of his, finding her left one was aching. She kept her vision on him hoping she didn't disturb him, and when he didn't move except for a small scrunch of the nose she figured she was good. She shifted slightly, sitting up now instead of laying down and she took the mask off, and taking slow deep breaths, trying to breath on her own.

 _In and out. In and out. In and out._ As she repeated this mantra, with her eyes closed she didn't see Barry wake up, and stretch, yawning as he did so. She opened her eyes, and their gaze met and she smiled. _Thank god she's alright_ was the only thought that ran through Barry's head as he saw her awake.

"Looks like sleeping beauty finally woke up," Barry teased, a small grin on his face. Sophia gave him a sly look and opened her mouth to retort with something witty, but as soon as she tried to speak she started coughing violently. Barry jumped up immediately and rubbed her back soothingly til she stopped coughing. She motioned for water, and he passed the cup that was on the bedside. After greedily downing the cup of water, her throat felt less scratchy.

"Hey," she spoke, her voice quite hoarse.

"Hey," Barry responded, feeling guilty again. He thought the antidote would have healed her up nice and right, but because of her asthma it seemed to make things a bit more complicated. Caitlin said that it would only take a day or two longer than usual for her to get back to normal, so there was no real worry, but still seeing her in this position made the guilt run deep.

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked.

"Like that one time I had a cigarette," she joked, her voice coming out clearer than before. Barry laughed, and she giggled softly, trying not to laugh too hard because that could only go one way in her current positon.

"How long have I been out?" She asked, hoping it wasn't a Barry situation where she was out for 9 months.

"Only about 7 hours," he said nonchalantly as he glanced at the clock on the wall. She raised her eyebrows, and then sighed, leaning back into her pillow.

"Bring me up to speed?"

"Sure, you want anything first? Water, a pillow, some new lungs?" He joked, and she gave him a playful glare before requesting some more water. Getting settled in, he filled her in on everything that went down, from her collapsing, to Nimbus getting his ass whopped and thrown in their new make-shift prison in the particle accelerator, to her basically saving Joe's life.

"Sounds like it was a long night," she hummed and he agreed with a solemn nod. "You didn't have to stay here for so long, I feel guilty now," she admitted sheepishly as Barry shook his head.

"What do you mean? You saved Joe's life, and this doesn't even-," Barry was at a loss for words. She had saved the man who had been his father for the last decade, the man who brought him up when he had no parents to do that. "This isn't even enough to repay you, for what you did. Thank you- I-I don't know what I would have done if I didn't make it in time." Barry looked away, hoping that she didn't get the double meaning of those words. Yes he was talking about Joe, but he felt the same about her. He couldn't lose her, the new friend that had started to become closer to him than a lot of people had been in years.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat, for any one of you guys," she said softly, "I know that I haven't personally known you for long, but Joe and Iris have been so kind and helpful to me over the last year especially, and I couldn't let him get hurt, not if I could do something to help." Neither of them spoke after those words tumbled out of her lips, not because they didn't know what to say, but because Cisco and Caitlin came knocking at her door.

"Delivery for Miss Lang," Cisco joked, mimicking a deep voice as he came walking in with a bunch of tulips, which happened to be her favourite flowers. Caitlin rolled her eyes, following in suit as she walked into the room, her heels clacking on the tiled floor of the hospital.

"How are you feeling?" Caitlin asked, coming to stand by Sophia's bed.

"Minus the nauseating feeling every time I take a breath, which is always, I'm good," Sophia joked, giving Cisco and Caitlin a toothy grin. She pointed towards the flowers in Cisco's hand.

"Mine?" She grinned cheekily, looking over at Barry with a face of excitement, to which he chuckled.

"Yes," Cisco laughed, passing them over to her as she made grabby hands. She brought the flowers close to her face, taking a deep sniff of them to enjoy the smell, when that was probably the silliest thing ever as she started to cough, her lungs clearly not ready to be doing a lot of heavy breathing. They all laughed and Caitlin took the flowers off her, placing them on her bedside table. Caitlin and Cisco pulled up some chairs, and they four youngsters sat there, chatting away for the next two hours, telling funny stories and waiting for Sophia to get the all clear from the doctors before she could go home. Once she checked out of hospital, she had been escorted home by Caitlin and Cisco after she basically forced Barry to go home and get some proper sleep. He had finally agreed but said he had to go see his father first. He was very sly with his actions, placing a lightning quick kiss on her forehead before zooming off. Sophia was left with windswept hair and a light blush tinting her cheeks, with Caitlin and Cisco smiling secretly with an all knowing look upon their faces.

When Sophia had gone home, she fed her cat, and then picked her up, plopping on her couch as she tried to get some rest.

"Sorry for leaving you alone for so long chewie, I should probably get you a sitter," she joked with her cat, stroking her back as she purred. She was slowly drifting off when she got a text message. She picked up her phone, lazily swiping right trying to unlock it when her thumb slipped and she dropped her phone on her face. She groaned, annoyed that it happened way too often. She picked it back up and unlocked it. It was from Barry.

' _Dad just told me what you did for him. I sorted out the guard, he won't be bothering him anymore. Again, I don't know how to thank you. But, I guess… thank you, you were the real hero today.' – Barry_

Since she was so lazy, she decided to just respond with a smiley face emoji, but her finger was way too close and she made the mistake of pressing the kissy face and sending it. Now she was wide awake, like a bucket of ice water had been dropped over her head. Her phone fell again and she scrambled to pick it up, brushing her hair out of her face as she hurriedly typed the text out.

' _I didn't mean to send that, oh my god. Sorry.'_ She hit send, anxiously waiting for his reply. _Why, oh, why._ This just had to be the icing on the cake for all of today's insane events.

' _It's alright, not to worry.'_ He sent back and she sighed in relief, glad that was over and done with… that was until he sent another message only a second later.

' _I know I'm irresistible.'_ He teased, and her heart sped up as she tried to maintain an angry façade. She frowned, sending him a straight face, with an unamused expression.

' _Alright goodnight sleeping beauty.'_

' _Goodnight Allen.'_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Wow! 20 follows after two chapters! Talk about exciting. Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed. Every review that i receive, whether a paragraph long, a few sentences or even one word, literally brings a smile to my face. So thank you.**

 **I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. A lot of exciting action this time round, and a little bit of insight into Anna's death that night, and the emotions that Sophia's been keeping buried inside.**

 **Also the first appearance of Henry Allen!**

 **I'm going to try my very best to squeeze some more Iris/Eddie in the next few chapters. I adore them, and they definitely need to interact with Sophia a bit more.**

 **Thanks to** _ **TabloidTeen, PrincessMagic and Kindleflame5 for the reviews.**_

 **Special thanks to the new followers:** _ **Amyb11, Beautiful-Pheonix75, Hufflepuff Hex, Jenny Stenson, Paddy and Moony's Angel, SaraSalvatore-Miakelson, TabloidTeen, Bookgirl44, Cnavarro27, Inescapableconfusion and Speedy00.**_

 **Next Update: Aiming for 26/12/15, but possibly on Christmas Day, as it's the only day I have off from work, so lucky you! Got yourself a little Christmas present from me coming soon.**

 **Happy Holidays!**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	4. Cold Shoulder

CHAPTER FOUR

It was nearing the early hours of the morning as Sophia and Caitlin sat in Star Labs, working on their new project together. That is, if lounging on the couch in their newly set up break room counted as working. They were trying to re-design certain areas of the facility to suit their new needs. The plan was to create more room down in the particle accelerator for prison cells, as they didn't know how many new evil meta-humans would be coming their way. They also wanted to create a larger training room that could allow obstacles to be built, and large weapons to be installed for testing purposes. This would make it more convenient for them all, rather than having to drive out to the air strip all the time. It would also mean more exciting training tests would occur, which they all agreed would be both extremely fun and informative.

When Sophia volunteered to help Caitlin, she thought that it would just involve some light planning, and moving around a few things into different rooms or offices around the building. She didn't realise it would involve so much work. There were papers of blueprints and drafts of new designs laid out all around on the floor, barely a spot free of clutter, with pencils and empty coffee mugs to accompany them.

Eventually she gave up and decided to take a quick nap. So there she lay on the couch, her jacket draped over her as she tried to relax, tired from a hard days work. She was still dressed in her scrubs, not even having a chance to go home and change before she came over.

Caitlin glanced over at Sophia as she slept. She noticed that her face was scrunched up in what looked like pain. Caitlin frowned when she saw this, wondering why her peaceful face had changed so suddenly. It was then, when Sophia whimpered in pain, mumbling in her sleep that Caitlin moved over to try and wake her up. She placed her hands on Sophia's shoulders, shaking her lightly and trying to rouse her from what seemed to be a nightmare.

"Soph, wake up."

"No, please, don't hurt them," Sophia mumbled in her sleep, her words coming out strained.

"Sophia, wake up," Caitlin said a little louder this time, and Sophia's eyes flew wide open. The nurse took a few shaky breaths, trying to sit up, leaning against the back of the couch for support, her eyes flickering back and forth around the room as she gained a sense of her surroundings. _It was just a dream._

"Are you alright? Looked like you were having a nightmare," Caitlin asked with a concern filled voice, her soft eyes flickering over Sophia's face.

"I-I'm fine," Sophia lied. She was having a nightmare. It was the same one she had been having for days. She thought she had gotten over being attacked by Nimbus, but the panic still seemed to haunt her, even after he was locked away. She looked down, avoiding Caitlin's gaze, and tried to focus on steadying her heart rate. She hated that she had such vivid and dramatic dreams. They always left a sour taste lingering in her thoughts.

"Are you sure?" Caitlin didn't want to Sophia to bubble up her feelings, but she also didn't want to pressure her into talking about it if she wasn't ready.

"I-I, it's Nimbus. I've been having nightmares about the attack. Someone else getting hurt, and dying, and he laughs at me for trying to protect them, a-and then he kills me," Sophia whispered, gulping after the words fell off her lips.

"Soph, how long have you had these?" Caitlin asked, her eyes widening at her confession.

"For a few days, maybe longer," Sophia mumbled, unsure of how long it really had been. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a while because of it. She didn't know why she had gotten so worked up about it, but she had nearly died that night.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Caitlin sat down next to Sophia, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly as she tried to comfort her.

"I didn't want to worry anyone, plus, he's gone. He can't hurt me anymore, and I'm angry at myself for letting the thought of him control me."

"Hey, don't blame yourself. What happened to you was terrifying by anyone's standards. If anything, it's normal to be experiencing nightmares because of it. Just remember that you're safe, and he's locked away, he's not going to hurt anyone," Caitlin reassured her with a soft motherly voice, and Sophia nodded, giving her a small smile in thanks for the support and advice.

"Why don't you go home and relax. I can finish up the rest. You've got work tomorrow as well," Caitlin suggested, patting her shoulder lightly.

"Yeah, I might. Thanks Cait," Sophia whispered as she hugged her goodbye, before leaving the building, ready to go home and take a nice long bubble bath, and try and focus on anything but her haunting dreams.

* * *

It was just another ordinary day at Star Labs… well that statement was only about fifty per cent true. It was training day, something that wasn't unusual within these walls. In fact, it was a common occurrence, in order for them to assess Barry's full capabilities now that he was essentially the fastest man alive. The only difference was, this time it was less sweating, groaning and yelling but more cheering, laughing and the occasional sigh of defeat.

It was as Cisco deemed it "game time".

Caitlin was currently playing operation, Cisco occupied with ping pong and Dr Wells a game of chess. This all seemed relatively normal… until Barry was added to the equation. He was playing simultaneously with all of them. Cisco was sure that if Sophia was there, she would be laughing at them all as they tried to beat each other.

"This isn't even remotely anatomically correct," Caitlin complained as she tried to move one of the organs out with the tiny little silver clip like contraptions used in the game, and she was currently failing.

"That's not the point Dr. Snow," Wells said from the other side of the room, as he rested his chin on one hand, the other moving chess pieces around the board as he formulated his strategy.

"Then what is the point?"

"To have fun," Barry said excitedly, as he sped over to Cisco, hitting the white ping pong ball back to him. Cisco dashed onto the other side, his arm out wide, hitting it back only to have Barry move from playing with Caitlin back to him in less than a second.

"Damn," Cisco muttered under his breath as he went to hit the ball again, straining his right arm as he did.

"And to continue your ongoing training by testing the speed of your mind by pushing your ability to multitask," Dr. Wells informed the team. This was the perfect way to improve Barry's ability to think and move at the same time at faster speeds.

"I'm waiting on you Dr. Wells," Barry teased as he appeared in front of him only moments later.

"Heads up! I think we got something," Cisco said, dropping his paddle, running over to the computers when they started beeping.

"Checkmate," Dr. Wells declared triumphantly, with a smug look upon his face.

"Wait- checkmate?"

"Checkmate."

"I guess we still have a few things left to learn, don't we, Mr. Allen?" Dr. Wells teased, and Barry gave him a rueful smile.

"Armed robbery at 4h and Collins," Cisco announced, bringing up a map on screen.

"For the record, I crushed it in operation and ping pong," Barry said before changing into his suit and running off to the crime scene. Evidently not in time as a guard was shot before he collapsed, bleeding out onto the concrete of the road.

"Ugh! Where's the nearest hospital?" Barry asked in panic as he put his arms around the man, trying to get him in a secure position that he could run him to the hospital.

"St. Andrews. Seven blocks north, two east," Cisco instructed.

"Call the ER, tell them they have an incoming GSW."

"On it," Cisco said and he dialled Sophia's number. She had mentioned to him the night before that she was working the ER at St. Andrews. They were low on staff after an outbreak of the flu, so she was moved from Central City hospital until further notice. It meant a longer trip, which she hated, but she had to do what she was told. In the time it took Barry to run to the hospital, the message had been passed onto Sophia who stood waiting for the new patient to be brought in. She pressed the MET call button, calling the emergency team in to deal with the GSW.

Barry ran to the hospital, and through the ER doors, dropping the patient on an empty hospital bed. He was surprised to see Sophia there but gave her a quick smile as she looked up, before leaving as the emergency team got to work with the patient.

Sophia had her gloves on in seconds, and she was assessing the patient. A gun-shot wound to the lower abdomen, and it wasn't looking too good. Blood was seeping out fast, and his pulse was virtually non-existent. He needed to be rushed into surgery and now. She sighed and got to work immediately with the team, knowing this was going to be a long day ahead for her.

* * *

It was a few hours later, and Sophia had finally got to her lunch break. She greedily gulped down a bottle of water, groaning when she realised it was only half-full. She was sitting in the staff lounge, closing her eyes and trying to relax for the next fifteen minutes she had free when _he_ walked in. It was Brian. _God dammit Brian._ She hated that he was in such a high position, it meant that not only would she see him at her normal place of work, but most likely any hospital in Central City because he was as they deemed it a 'liaison' between hospitals. She rubbed over her face, praying to god that he wouldn't come near her or talk to her. She was already tired considering she hadn't slept very well recently, not to mention the fact that she had been working herself over-time, she wasn't in the mood to deal with him. She didn't have to look up to know he was standing right next to her when she sighed.

 _So much for praying_.

"What can I do for you Brian?" She asked in a lazy tone, looking up to see his condescending face.

"I need you to go over to the CCPD, with the medical files on the guard that went into op this morning, and the bullet we removed from his abdomen," Brian said with a distasteful look on his face, as he lifted up the plastic bag with the bloody bullet inside.

"Now?"

"Yes now," Brian responded, throwing the package down on the table in front of her, landing with a loud thud.

"Fine, anything to get away from you," she mumbled under her breath, taking the files and bag from the table.

"What was that?" She looked up, with wide eyes hoping he didn't hear that… him being her superior and all.

"Nothing just that my shift ends in an hour. Do I have to come back and make the time up?" Sophia said smoothly. _Nice recovery girl._ She put on a sweet smile, trying to be polite this time, after their little argument last week about the prison work she was in a tough spot. Brian just stared at her for a moment, contemplating what she had said, but to her it just looked really creepy.

"Since you're dropping this off, no you do not have to come back and make up the hours." He said, and she moved to walk away, thankful that she didn't have to come back when he called her name again, "Also, you'll be needed back at Central City Hospital from tomorrow, no need to come back here, we've got more staff coming in." She nodded and walked away.

As she moved around the corner after stepping out of the staff lounge, she threw her fist in the air with a silent cheer, only to have some staff and visitors around give her a weird look. She mouthed sorry before running off to grab her stuff and leave. She was happy to be back at her usual place of work, and not having to travel so far. If only she had superpowers that could get her there in a second flat… to bad she was no Barry Allen.

By the time Sophia had gone home, had a quick shower and changed into the comfiest pair of black jeans she could find, and a white tee it was already getting late. She was supposed to have dropped off the files at the CCPD twenty minutes ago. Rushing, she threw her hair up into a pony tail, and grabbed the navy blue bomber jacket hanging on her coat rack, slipping her arms into it as she locked her front door.

By the time she reached the CCPD she was actually completely confused as where to go. She was sure Barry handled this sort of thing, but she had no idea where his office or lab or whatever it was called actually was. She was headed to one of the front desks to ask when she heard someone call her name. Turning around she saw Iris heading towards her with a big smile on her face, and some coffee's to go in hand.

"Hey! I didn't expect to see you here," Iris greeted with a warm smile.

"Hey, yeah, I've got to drop something off from work for Barry, but I realised I have no idea where his lab is…" Sophia admitted sheepishly, causing Iris to chuckle.

"Well I guess it's your lucky day. Follow me. I'm actually going to see him and my dad," Iris explained, and the two ladies strolled along, taking the elevator up. They chatted on the way up, catching up as they hadn't seen each other in a while, what with Sophia being busy working at the hospital and at Star Labs, and Iris with Jitters and her Journalism work. Iris insisted that they coordinate their calendars, so that they could go out together some more, and Sophia nodded eagerly, looking forward to being social again. Truth be told, besides a few workmates, and the team at Star Labs, she hadn't socialised in a while, and it was sort of a bummer.

Soon enough they had arrived, walking out of the elevator into the bright open area of offices where they saw Barry talking with Joe on the run. As they walked towards the two, Sophia overheard Barry talking.

"I've been thinking of a new name. What do you think about the Fla-," He cut himself off immediately when Sophia and Iris approached the two men, an awkward smile on his face as he prayed to god that Iris didn't hear a word.

"Coffee Break," Iris said with a bright smile, handing one to her father-who didn't have the most pleased look on his face- and the other to Barry.

"And a delivery for you, and one for you," Sophia chimed in, passing the files to Joe and the bloody bullet to Barry.

"Thought I would bring Central City's finest java over to Central City's finest," Iris praised with a grin.

"Thanks," Barry said appreciatively, gladly accepting the free coffee.

"I'm off caffeine," Joe said in a flat tone, looking upset. He offered the coffee over to Sophia who took it with a small smile. Joe walked away, moving deeper into his office, and Barry and Iris just looked at Sophia as she took a large gulp of the pure black coffee.

"Well I'm not off caffeine." She shrugged, taking another sip of the coffee, enjoying the way the strong aroma relaxed her. "Why's he upset with you?" Sophia asked and Iris sighed, rubbing her neck.

"My dad's been mad at me ever since I told him about me and Eddie," Iris explained, to which Sophia gave her a nod.

"No, you mean he's mad at you because you didn't tell him," Barry corrected, giving her a pointed look, and Iris grimaced. Sophia looked between the two, watching as they argued over the whole situation. Sophia figured Barry was taking Joe's side because 1. He was a guy and sometimes guys weren't all that perceptive with these sorts of things and 2. He was jealous that Iris was dating Eddie, and that he had only found out about it by accidentally catching them kiss in the middle of Jitters. So Sophia figured that she would just continue to sip her coffee, and watch the drama unfold, not ready to get involved.

"Uh, first, that sounds like you're taking his side, and second, do you know how he does this whole, 'I'm not talking to you, but I have a whole bag full of judgemental looks I'm gonna try out on you later'," Iris spoke animatedly, clearly frustrated at the situation between herself and her father. Sophia could understand though. Joe was just being protective of her, and Iris had kept it a secret from him for over nine months, so it did seem like she felt she couldn't be honest with him. But Sophia didn't blame her, it was a tough time those nine months, with Barry in a coma at the same time, and the city still recovering from the particle accelerator explosion.

"Yeah, I've been on the receiving end of those a few times," Barry admitted with a small laugh, clearly remembering the fight he had with Joe a few weeks ago about the whole superhero thing.

"Speaking of communications, or lack thereof, after all these journalism classes I finally got an idea," Iris was super excited to tell both Barry and Sophia.

"Huh?" Barry asked, confused as to what she was referring to.

"I started a blog," Iris explained, and Sophia perked up.

"A blog, that's so cool, what's it about?" Sophia asked, she'd always wanted to take up Journalism as a kid, but figured it wasn't the right profession for her after spending a week at her cousin's friend's desk job in metropolis when she was sixteen for work experience.

"Your brownie obsession? Cause you know, you probably shouldn't broadcast that," Barry joked, which caused Sophia to shove his arm.

"Brownies are cool, and absolutely delicious, so ignore smarty pants over here," Sophia teased.

"No, something important… something that Central City needs to know about, The Streak," And it was at that moment that both Barry and Sophia's hearts went plummeting down into a deep abyss of worry. Sophia literally stopped breathing for a second, unsure of what to say or do. She turned her head slightly to see what Barry's reaction would be. Iris couldn't be writing about the streak, it was dangerous and most of all it would probably end up with her finding out it was Barry which would cause a whole other tsunami of problems.

"He's out there Barry, rumour has it, he stopped an armed car robbery earlier." The look of hope and admiration on Iris's face was enough for both of them to want to support her, and congratulate her on this amazing opportunity. But both of them knowing better, understood the risks of what she was doing.

"I was hoping that I could take a look at the file, and-,"

"And what? I'm not at liberty to discuss an ongoing police investigation with you," Barry said, putting away the bloody bullet that Sophia had just handed him only a few minutes ago.

"Since when, Mr. Blabbermouth?" When Barry didn't say anything, Iris turned to Sophia.

"Well what about you? I know that you saw him in the ER when he brought in the gunshot victim. What did he look like, what did he-?" Sophia cut her off with wide eyes, worried that her questions wouldn't end and she had no idea what to say.

"Um, I didn't see him, it was just a blur and then there was a bleeding patient needing my attention. That's really all… sorry," Sophia lied, and she felt so guilty. She knew that it was Joe who wanted to keep this all a secret from Iris to protect her, but she felt sick lying to someone who had always been so honest and kind with her.

"Take it from someone who's been investigating the impossible since they were 11," Barry said, trying to convince her, but he wasn't doing very well. Iris wasn't going to let this go. "Blogging about this is only gonna bring the crazies to your front door."

"My blog is anonymous." Iris countered, one eyebrow raised, and a hand on her hip to emphasise her statement, which Sophia had to admit just made her look even sassier than usual, it was great.

"All right, well, anonymous or not, it's not safe," Barry shot back. "You never know what kind of weirdos are out there trolling the internet."

"I can vouch for that," a voice came from behind the three. Sophia was thankful someone else had come in and squashed that conversation for now. She was starting to feel awkward listening to the two argue.

"Hi, Felicity Smoak," the newcomer introduced with a small wave. She had blonde hair, and the cutest pair of glasses perched on her nose. Her visibly bright personality was outshining the awkwardness that had settled in with Barry and Iris's little argument.

"Sophia Lang," Sophia introduced herself, shaking Felicity's hand.

"Iris West."

"Barry Allen," and at this all three girls looked at him, with laughter upon their faces.

"But you already knew that," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, a red tint on his cheeks. Sophia bit her lip, trying not to laugh. He was known for his lack of social skills, this clearly an example, but she knew that when he wanted to be, he could be real smooth.

"Felicity is the girl that you met in Starling city right? You two worked on one of Barry's unexplainable cases."

'Which, long story short, was definitely explainable," Felicity cleared up, like she had something to hide, which made Sophia a bit suspicious… and then it clicked. Cisco had mentioned Felicity before, she worked with the Arrow. _Yeah she did, oh my god does that mean Barry knows who the arrow is?_ Sophia thought, nearly causing her to gasp when she realised but she passed it off as a cough.

"Well it was lovely to meet you Felicity, but I have to get running before I'm late for my shift," Iris said, saying goodbye before leaving the precinct.

That left Barry, Sophia and Felicity alone. They decided to head down to the local park, grab an ice-cream and the girls could get to know each other better. Sophia had grabbed a passionfruit sorbet in a small cup, while Barry and Felicity decided to stick with chocolate ice-cream in a cone. They decided to walk and talk, and take advantage of the lovely day. The sun was out, radiant and warm, and it was all blue skies, something they could all appreciate.

"Iris seems very nice," Felicity mentioned as they walked. "And really pretty, like super pretty. Congratulations," Felicity said with a huge smile, nudging Barry's arm as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, _Iris_ isn't my girlfriend," Barry defended way too quickly. Mainly because he was in denial that the love of his life was currently dating a cop that she worked with, and the fact that he was slowly developing feelings for someone else… not that his conscious brain would ever recognise this fact as reality at this point.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, are you two dating? Wow, that was _totally_ inconsiderate of me I-," Felicity rambled on back and forth between the two, which then caused Sophia and Barry to both turn beet red at her assumption.

"No, no- we're not dating," Sophia and Barry spoke simultaneously, "Why would we be dating-."

" _Why_ what's wrong with me?" They both said, as they stopped walking, looking at each other with slight frowns on their faces. Sophia thought _Jokes on you honey. I already know no one would want to be with me._ Sophia sighed and turned away from Barry, feeling quite well to put it simply- weird.

"Oops, sorry," Felicity said, with an awkward smile, noticing the awkward tension that had just been built up.

"What are you really doing here? I mean, it's good to see you, but do you and Oliver need something, or?" Sophia was confused as to who Oliver was… she kept thinking. _Oliver, Oliver, Oliver? Oliver queen? Yes, she did mention she worked for Queen Industries, makes sense._

"No, no, I came because I wanted to see you. I heard you were out of the Coma." Felicity said, with a sad smile on her face as she continued, "Didn't call, didn't write, didn't race over-,"

"Oliver told you?" Barry asked, with a slightly guilty look on his face. He knew he should have at least called, but the last few weeks had honestly been so hectic with discovering his powers, to meta-humans turning up left, right and centre, and him actually getting the chance to get to know Cisco, Caitlin, Sophia and even Dr. Wells. He hadn't had a chance to even think about calling.

"Honestly, I heard you two talking that night," Felicity admitted. Oliver had forgotten his ear piece on, and so she could hear the whole conversation from the arrow cave. Felicity was careful with her wording, not wanting to give away the fact that Oliver Queen was also the Arrow.

"I want to see it," Felicity said with an excited tone, and a grin on her cherry red lips. "And by it, I mean your speed, in case you thought I was talking about something else-which I was not," She said which caused Sophia to laugh so hard she nearly dropped her icy dessert.

"Sorry, It's just I thought Barry was the only one who suffered from what would be classified as word vomit, but you both do and it's adorable. You're seriously my new best friend," Sophia declared, hooking her arm through Felicity's. Felicity shot her a quirky smile, and Barry just rolled his eyes at Sophia's teasing.

"Okay, you see that building," Barry said pointing up to the tallest building in the current area. He had a glint in his eye and as he looked over at Sophia she knew exactly what he was thinking and gave him a small smile, reassuring him that it would be a good idea.

"Uh-huh," Felicity mumbled.

"Keep your eyes on it." And with that Barry was gone.

"The first time I ever saw this, I couldn't believe it," Sophia admitted, and it was totally true. She had her mouth open for at least two minutes… like a gaping fish.

" _Whoa_ ," Felicity breathed out as he came rushing back, his phone in hand as he showed them both the photo.

"You took a picture of me? From the top of that building?" Felicity couldn't believe it.

"Yeah," Barry laughed, a smug look on his face. He always got a kick out of seeing people's reactions. Though he had to say so far his favourite by far was Sophia's. Though not when she first saw it, when she first experienced it. She was literally shocked for about five minutes, her mouth wide open as she kept saying "Woah".

"Don't Instagram that," Barry teased, and they all had goofy smiles on their faces.

"Unbelievable." Felicity said, still in awe of what just happened.

"Your shoes are smoking." And with that both girls laughed as Barry shuffled, trying to get the smoke out of his converse shoes before they caught on fire. "That's- that's fine."

"It happens sometimes. That's why he's got a friction-proof suit, Cisco designed and built it. If you think that was great, wait til you see the suit. It's gorgeous," Sophia gushed, and then she reddened immediately as she realised what she had admitted, especially after the looks she got from both of them.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for red," She said, this time a bit more confidently. _If you're gonna be embarrassed, why not work it_ she thought. Barry's gaze lingered on her face, grinning at her comment, especially when he noticed that she was actively avoiding his gaze, her cheeks a light pink in colour.

And with that they were off to Star Labs, ready for the day ahead.

* * *

"And this is where my team monitors the police bands for criminal activity," Barry explained as the three of them walked into the main cortex of Star Labs. Cisco was at his computer typing away, Dr. Wells wheeling around somewhere, and Caitlin running some tests in her small section of the lab.

"We can track anything that's happening in the city," Cisco piped in, with a smug grin on his face as he continued, "Check this out, we have our own satellite."

"I know. I've hacked into it from time to time," Felicity admitted with a grin. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Plus she knew that they wouldn't find out, and that if they did, they wouldn't mind as much as NASA would.

"I'm just wondering how much of our operations she needs to know about."

"I'm really good at keeping secrets," Felicity reassured.

"Yeah, Felicity works with the Arrow," Barry explained to the team.

"And you apparently are not," Felicity mentioned giving him a pointed look to which he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.

"Sweet."

"Wait, so you know who the Arrow is?" Cisco asked excitedly. Sophia nodded her head as Cisco asked. They had all heard stories of the Arrow, seen him all over the news. The vigilante from Starling City. She did admit that his tactics were less than tasteful, but it yielded results that protected the city more than most could offer.

"Uh, let's just say that my team has a similar set up, but with _more_ pointy objects," Felicity mused.

"Welcome, Ms. Smoak." Dr. Wells greeted as he rolled into the room.

"Dr. Wells? The Dr. Wells?" Felicity was sure she was having a brain aneurysm right about now. She was- to put it simple- star struck. And that didn't happen quite often considering the sort of people she worked with and for.

"Please, call me Harrison, Felicity."

"Oh, you know who I am?" She whispered in awe.

"Ranked second in the national informative technology competition at age 19, graduated M.I.T. with master's degree in cyber security and computer sciences. I know who you are," Dr. Wells listed off her skill set with ease, impressing not only Felicity with his knowledge about her, but everyone else in the room. _Talk about a new girl crush_ Sophia thought with a smile as she listened into their conversation.

"I keep an eye out for promising talent in scientific fields," Wells explained, and Felicity felt honoured that she was noticed by such a bright eye, and someone she had admired for quite some time.

"It's what brought me Cisco, Caitlin and Sophia. I foresaw great things from you as well."

"Speaking of great things, want to see something cool?" Barry jumped in, with an excited grin upon his lips. They made their way into the training room where Barry got on the treadmill that had been "Cisco'ed" to show case his new powers.

"So is he really okay? How fact can he run?" Felicity asked, from the other side of the glass, worried about her friend, after all he had been hit by lightning.

"He hasn't reached his top speed yet, theoretically speaking," Cisco tried to explain.

"So is he really okay?"

"His heart rate is within normal range for him," Sophia said, standing beside Felicity as they looked on, watching the lightning blur move in front of them.

"No, I mean, the lightning bolt changed him," Felicity said, turning around to face Caitlin and Dr. Wells. "Do any of you really know how much?"

"We know a fair amount," Wells countered.

"If everything about him is sped up, is he going to age faster? What would happen if he ran too fast? I mean would he just be running, and then, poof, he's dust in red costume?" Felicity babbled on, asking question after question. She was genuinely concerned for her friend, but the way she was asking her questions seemed like an attack, causing Wells to respond defensively.

"Everything we do here at Star Labs, is to protect Barry Allen," Wells stated, trying to ease Felicity's nerves. "Trust us, Felicity, he is in very good hands here."

"Want to see how fast I can run backwards?" Barry yelled excitedly from the other side, causing everyone to turn back around and watch him with a smile on his face, as he started to run backwards. Which didn't last for long as he went flying off the treadmill only to crash into the wall of cardboard boxes.

"Don't worry, he heals quickly too," Sophia said, shrugging her shoulders before she rushed into the other side of the room to check on the genius of a guy who had decided running backwards at super speed would be a good idea. She shook her head, going to check on the silly boy who was weaving his way into her heart.

* * *

It wasn't long til they had all found themselves at Jitters, catching up with Iris. The four of them sat at a table, chitchatting for what seemed like forever. But Sophia was glad for the break, in-between working shifts at the hospital, and trying to catch themselves meta-humans she didn't have a lot of time to just socialise, and it was absolutely refreshing to talk about normal things.

"Has Barry been showing you some of the sights in Central City?" Iris asked Felicity, a bright smile on her face.

"Yes, I have seen some pretty amazing things," Felicity said, looking over at Barry and Sophia with knowing looks as they held back secret grins.

"Really? Well, if you've got some time, maybe we can show you some of Central City's night life," Iris offered and Felicity declined, wanting to just relax on this trip as much as she could.

"Oh, no. I get plenty of night life in Starling City," Felicity breathed out. She wanted a nice and relaxing trip, not the usual adrenaline filled ones she had routinely back home.

"Oh, this is something that I don't think that you're gonna want to miss," Iris said, trying to build up the event.

"What, Jitters trivia night?" Sophia joked, getting a laugh out of Barry, causing her smile to grow wider.

"Actually, yes. And you're all coming," Iris declared surprising Sophia as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh my god, you're serious?" Sophia said, her eyes widening slowly at Iris's expression.

"Eddie's not really that excited about it, but it is our night to win $75 worth of cappuccinos," Iris admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, _yum_ ," Barry said sarcastically, clearly uncomfortable with the whole idea.

"Hmm, I'm in. But I'm only doing it for the coffee West, and you best remember that," Sophia winked at her. She was sure to be the 5th wheel on what seemed to be a double date but winning some free coffee's sounded good, especially since she either had to ditch the ones she bought half the time, or Barry was always there to knock into them someway, somehow.

"You know what, I'm gonna go call work, check in, make sure everything's okay." Felicity smiled before walking away, leaving the others at the table. There was awkward silence for a good minute before Sophia had enough and told them she was going to grab a coffee, complaining about being tired from a night shift.

"Why are you doing this?" Barry glared at Iris, crossing his arms over his chest as soon as the two girls left the table.

"Doing what?" Iris smirked, playing dumb as she relaxed back into her seat.

"The trivia night with you and Eddie, forcing this whole double date thing?" Barry asked, giving Iris a knowing look only to receive a cheeky smile in response.

"Because that girl is great, and she happens to come from your very rare species of adorable nerds," Iris pointed. She wanted for Barry to be happy like she was with Eddie. And if he needed a push in the right direction, then she was more than content to oblige.

"Who Sophia?" Barry asked, with a furrowed brow.

"I knew it," Iris nearly yelled in excitement, as Barry just looked at her with wide eyes, hoping no one else heard that. He gulped nervously, and opened his mouth to protest but nothing came out.

"What-I didn't-," he tried to defend himself but she had cut him off already and he knew she was not going to let it go.

"I didn't say which nerd, you just happened to pick from the two amazing friends you have there," Iris pointed out, to which he realised she was right.

"She's just a friend," Barry said, denying that anything else was happening, or going to happen.

"Barry, she works night shifts, full time at the hospital. The time she could spend sleeping in at home, she's spending with you. Girls don't just do that to see someone that they don't like _everyday_."

Barry just gave her a look before sighing, and rubbing a hand down his face. He wasn't sure what was going on between himself and Sophia. He had to admit that over the last few days he had been feeling slightly _er_ -different towards her. For what reason, he wasn't sure yet, but going by what Iris was saying, he was sure what it was now, but he was too afraid to make his thoughts a reality.

"Bring her tonight, I'll talk to Felicity. I'm sure she won't mind sitting this one out, after all she did mention that Cisco wanted to spend some time with her. Come on, we'll have fun," Iris tried to convince her.

" _Yeah, fun,_ " Barry said with a deadpan face. He admitted to himself that he was not completely over Iris, and he felt that seeing her with Eddie was hard enough, but going on a double date with them? That was a bit too far for him at this point… especially since Sophia was now coming, and he wasn't sure how he felt about her yet, and in all honesty it wasn't fair for either of them when he knew he was still in love with Iris West. _God help me now_ Barry thought, he was sure this night was going to be a total disaster.

* * *

The atmosphere was chill, fairy lights lighting up Jitters as music played in the background to the loud chatter that went on inside the coffee shop. Staff served drinks complementary to each team, spreading the aroma of coffee beans around the shop.

"Party people, who's ready to get their trivia on?" The host asked, gaining a booming applause and cheering in response. Jitters was packed, different teams of friends sitting at various tables, waiting to get their trivia on. Most were there just to have fun, whilst others were there to win some free coffees. Barry, Iris and Eddie were sitting at their table, waiting on Sophia to arrive. Iris had spoken to felicity and she agreed that she would be hanging out with Cisco and Caitlin, probably at Star Labs, not that Iris knew that part of the story. Iris was grinning excitedly as she took a sip of her drink, looking over at Eddie who gave her a smile. She knew he wasn't exactly excited to be at a trivia night, but he did it for her and she appreciated it. Barry kept looking at the door, wondering when Sophia would arrive, and that made Iris even more elated. She wanted him to have someone who would see what a great guy he was. He deserved that and even more.

"We've got some new challengers, Please welcome E=mc Hammer," the host announced, resulting in more applause.

"No, you see, I did it because E=mc squared is Einstein's formula for kinetic energy, right? And you, know can't touch this," Barry explained with a goofy look on his face as Iris and Eddie were confused as to the team name. Iris nodded and laughed at her favourite nerd. _Only you Barry._

"So where is Sophia?"

"I'm not sure, she said she'd be here soon," Barry told Eddie, wondering himself where she was. She said she had an emergency and had to run to the hospital this afternoon, but that she would be at Jitters on time for Trivia night. Moments later, Sophia came through the front door of Jitters. Barry turned his head when he heard the door open, to see her walk in, his breath hitched and his jaw dropped. She was dressed in white fitted jeans, black high heels and a black wrapped blouse, which was nearly back-less. Her hair was curled and pinned back, spare a few at the front that framed her face, and her lips were a gorgeous pink, as though she had kissed roses on the way in. A light fluttery feeling travelled throughout his chest, and he felt like he couldn't breathe when he saw her.

 _Beautiful_.

"Might want to close your mouth Barry," Iris whispered teasingly as Sophia made her way over to their table. Barry composed himself, letting out a breath and greeted her.

"I feel like I'm way too overdressed for trivia night," Sophia mused, laughing as she took a seat next to Barry, and across from Eddie.

"No, no, you look amazing," Barry responded, and she looked up at him with a small smile, trying not to blush under his intense gaze. She mumbled a thanks, and then turned to give Iris and Eddie a smile. She hadn't been out in a while with friends like this, and if she was being completely honest, this was the only shirt that wasn't dirty and she didn't have time to wash her laundry.

"E=mc hammer, cute," Sophia commented as she saw their team name causing Barry to grin. Iris and Eddie gave each other a knowing look, smiling at their friends.

"Let the games begin, and may the _odds_ be ever in your favour," Sophia imitated Effie Trinket from the hunger games, causing them all to laugh as the lights dimmed even further in Jitters, and the teams got ready to smash each other in some exciting trivia.

* * *

"Three is the Samwise." Barry concluded, biting his lip as he continued to think about the answer.

"Mmm," Sophia hummed even though she knew it was wrong. She would have corrected him sooner but her eyes were too busy focusing on his lips. She averted her gaze as quickly as she realised, and tried to focus back on the question at hand. _No it has to be four… it makes the most sense._

"Three is Pippin, and four is Sam," Sophia corrected as they tried to work out the answer. It was a round of Lord of the Rings trivia, and Sophia was as confident as ever.

"Right," Barry mumbled, as though he had the correct answer the whole time. She giggled at this, biting her lip as they looked back at the questions.

"Five?" Eddie asked, scratching his forehead. He had to admit that he had watched all of the movies, but he hadn't seen them in a while, so faces and names and plot devices were all mixed and jumbled in his head. Whereas Iris hadn't seen any of them, admitting that she was more of a Harry Potter girl herself, and she had definitely proved that in the quick fire round of questions, answering all of them correctly before anyone else. So this time the couple decided to leave the answers to Barry and Sophia, knowing that they were their best chance of gaining points.

"Boromir." Barry and Sophia hummed in unison as they submitted their answer easily enough.

"Are they even speaking English?" Iris asked Eddie, with wide eyes to which he just laughed.

"And the points go to E=mc Hammer," the host broadcasted, causing their group to cheer.

"I knew you two would make a good team," Iris gushed proud that they were doing well whilst Eddie announced he was going to get some more drinks for them all. Iris sent Barry a cheeky grin, hoping that he understood the double meaning of her words, and she got her response when he blushed a light pink.

They continued playing on for another half hour before Eddie got a call from the Station, saying that Snart was spotted. Eddie apologised saying he had to go, he kissed Iris goodbye and left in a hurry. Sophia pulled Barry aside in the meantime and he knew he had to get going as well.

"Go, I'll make up some excuse and get to Star Labs as soon as I can," Sophia whispered, to which Barry nodded. He walked out the front door, looking to see if anyone was in sight before speeding off into the night and away. Sophia just stared at the empty space and sighed. _Time to get to work._

* * *

By the time Sophia had given Iris the excuse that Barry was feeling nauseated, and that she had sent him home to get some rest, she arrived at Star Labs about twenty minutes after Barry had left.

As she walked in she noticed the commotion, Barry was yelling in pain, and there was a frozen burn on his chest. She rushed in, immediately helping Caitlin in treating him.

"You're lucky to be alive," Caitlin said, and she was right. If it wasn't for his super powered cells regenerating at the inhumane rate, he would have been frozen solid.

"What happened?" Sophia inquired, her lingering gaze on Barry's wound, filled with concern and worry.

"Snart wasn't another meta-human. He has some kind of gun," Barry explained, still gasping in pain as his cells tried to heal. Sophia scrunched her brow up in confusion for a moment as she tried to put the pieces together. She wasn't here for the most part of the last day and so she was still unsure of what evil escapade Snart was on.

"Gun?"

"It froze things, slowed me down, enough that I wasn't in time to save someone," Barry elaborated, and Sophia could see the guilt heavy in his eyes.

"According to his record, Snart didn't even bother to finish high school, so how did he build a handheld high tech snow machine?" Sophia looked around the room at Cisco and Dr. Wells for their input on this matter, only see them both silent, and Cisco with a solemn look on his face.

"Star Labs built the cold gun, Dr. Wells and Caitlin had nothing to do with this. I built the gun," Cisco explained, Barry, Felicity and Sophia staring at him with wide eyes.

"You did? Why?" Barry nearly yelled in anger. _How could he, I-_

"Because speed and cold are opposites. Temperature is measured by how quickly the atoms of something are oscillating. The faster they are, the hotter it is, and when they are cold, they're slower on the atomic level," Cisco explained, taking a deep breath as he continued "When there's no movement at all, it's called Absolute Zero."

"Yeah," Barry agreed softly, still not able to comprehend that someone he thought was his friend built a gun to stop him.

"I designed a compact cryo engine to achieve absolute zero. I built it to stop you," Cisco tried to defend himself. He honestly didn't do it to spite Barry. It was a precaution that was necessary when there were meta-human crazies like Mardon running around. "I didn't know who you were then Barry. I mean what if you turned out to be some psycho, like Mardon or Nimbus?"

"But I didn't, did I?" Barry felt a stab of betrayal at Cisco's words.

"We built the entire structure you're standing in to do good, and it blew up. In wake of that, you can understand why Cisco would want to be prepared for the worst," Caitlin tried to reason.

"I can understand that, but what I can't understand is why you didn't tell me what you did, I mean after all we've been though, _I thought you trusted me,"_ Barry paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath before continuing on, "I thought we were friends," Barry finished, disappointment written all over his face. Sophia and Felicity shared a look of distress, unsure of what was going to happen after this.

"We are Barry," Cisco pleaded with solemn eyes. He didn't intend for this to happen, it was just a contingency plan in case something had gone wrong. His intentions were never to hurt Barry or worse, create another enemy.

"I mean, if you would have just told me, I could have been prepared. But instead, someone died tonight."

"And I have to live with that," Cisco said, looking down and avoiding Barry's gaze.

"No Cisco, we all do." And with that Barry left the cortex, leaving what seemed to be a destroyed friendship behind, hanging on a thread.

* * *

The sound of Barry's feet pounded on the treadmill, was the only one to be heard in Star Labs late that night. Everyone had left, each moving out of the building to their respective homes. Some went home to sleep, other went home to drink their guilt away. But one stayed behind.

Felicity went in search for Barry, ready to give him a lecture. It came easy to her, having dealt with stubborn people like Oliver and Diggle. She never pegged Barry to be one of those people, but when she saw him push even Sophia away, ignoring the girl's words of comfort and support, Felicity knew that Barry was going through something more than just feeling betrayed by his best friend. She knew that this line of work was tough. It was depressing and full of angst, and it tore the best of people apart into pieces. Felicity walked over to Barry only to see a red blur move back and forth on the treadmill, probably running a hundred miles a minute, thinking that for him, if anything, i was just a warm up.

"Barry," Felicity called out, hoping that he would have heard her. He stopped, coming to a slow jog as he jumped off the machine, pressing the red button on the front panel to turn it off.

"What are you doing? You should go back to your hotel, get some sleep," Barry insisted. He just wanted to be alone right now. Sophia had approached him earlier, trying to get him to talk, only for him to shut her down. He felt even worse now. They were his friends, he knew this, but he just couldn't get over what happened. He didn't know how to deal with the fact that someone had died today, and because of him.

"You should too," Felicity said, before correcting herself, "N-not go back to my hotel, I mean get some sleep…" She mentally berated herself for her consistency at making situations awkward with her innuendos.

"I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I see that man's face. I watched him die." Barry clenched his jaw, "I have to go faster," he said with a new found determination in his eyes. "I need to be faster."

"Barry, it's not your fault. And it's not Cisco's either," She spoke softly, "I know you're upset, but you have to look at this from his point of view."

"No, I get it. He didn't trust me," He said curtly, moving to turn away from Felicity and end the conversation, but she was persistent and kept talking.

"Barry, when you met us, Me, Oliver and Dig. We were this well-oiled archery machine. But it didn't start out that way. Unlike you guys, we weren't tossed together overnight. We came together one at a time. Believe me, it took much more than watching Oliver do the salmon ladder to make me trust him," Felicity scoffed, "I've seen firsthand what this life can do to people." Felicity knew that it wasn't easy, but if they wanted it to work, they all had to be understanding, and try their best to stay together, as a team. Otherwise, they were all doomed to fail. It was something she had to constantly remind herself of every day, no matter how hard things got.

"It's a lonely path. Don't make it any lonelier than it has to be," She finished, hoping that he would take her advice.

Barry stood there, watching Felicity as she walked away, and he mulled over her words as he went home, trying his best to think things over, hoping for the best.

* * *

It appeared that Felicity's speech had seemed to work, and Barry was slightly more compliant with the team the following morning, as Cisco discussed their new strategy against Snart.

"If I boost the signal using Central City's network and send a false update, we'll get a ping back, and then we can locate Snart," Cisco explained hoping that the software he had installed into the gun when it was built would allow them to capture Snart.

"How long will it take?" Barry asked anxiously, they had a small time gap to get Snart before he left Central City and they lost him for good.

"First I have to hack into the City's network, so I don't know, 30 minutes maybe…" Cisco guessed.

"I can do it in less than one," Felicity threw in, opening up her computer, and somehow Sophia was not surprised that she was able to do this. Felicity was one talented girl.

"When it comes to hacking, I'm the fastest woman alive," Felicity explained, a slight smirk upon her cherry red lips. She intertwined her fingers, cracking her knuckles, in the hope that it looked badass, but she just gasped in pain as she pulled the muscles way too much. "Ow! That was not as badass as I pictured," she murmured as small giggles erupted around the room. Pushing aside the embarrassment, she got to work, typing away at her computer, and done within less than a minute.

"Alright, I'm in," she announced proudly, sending the link through to Cisco's mainframe on the Star Labs network.

"Are you kidding?!" Cisco nearly exclaimed, an eyebrow raised, before he plopped down into his chair, spinning around and tying furiously as he sent the update. "We're connected."

"Network is triangulating the location… We got him!"

"He's heading west on Nelson toward the train station."

"If he's leaving, it appears Mr. Snart may have gotten what he came for," Dr. Wells pointed out, causing everyone to look up, with worried faces.

"When we put our minds to it, dude, nothing can stop us," Cisco tried to lighten the mood, and bring out the hope that they usually soaked up like adrenalin.

" _Oh_ , you turned your ear piece off," Cisco mentioned as Barry changed into his suit. "How are we going to talk to each other?"

"I don't feel like talking right now," Barry threw back as he gave the team one final look, his eyes lingering on Sophia, before he zoomed out of there. He felt guilty for turning it off, but he honestly hadn't come to terms with forgiving Cisco yet, even though he knew what Felicity had said was right. He just wanted to focus on getting Snart before sorting out any personal issues that they had going on.

With Barry now gone, the team was left sitting in their chairs and twiddling their thumbs as they prayed that everything would play out as planned.

"You should go after Barry," Felicity said, breaking the silence.

"You heard him, Felicity. He wants to do this alone," Cisco sighed in defeat, rubbing his forehead as his did so.

"Of course he said that. You're his team, and his friends. If I had a nickel for every time The Arrow told me to back off, I would be as rich as Oliver Queen, _who_ I mention because he's the richest person I know… _or_ used to be." Cisco sighed as Felicity kept talking. She was right, they had to do something.

"The point is, you have your partners back _no matter_ what," Felicity stated, and the team looked around at each other with a determination that was previously lost.

"It's decided then. Let's go save our boy," Sophia said, walking out of the cortex, and into the store room where she grabbed something she thought might help. Cisco had brought the Star Labs vacuum, adding some strobe lights to it, and changing it around so it looked like a really threatening gun when in reality all it would do was make a weird noise and suck up dirt. Not much better than her own idea she thought as she touched the gun tucked in the back of her jeans.

Sophia clenched her fist anxiously as they drove towards the station. She was worried that they wouldn't get there in time, and she knew that not a single soul sitting in this van would forgive themselves if that happened. She could feel the van speed up as they neared Snart's location. When the van stopped, swerving to the left to open up directly facing the two, she was the first to run out of the van and to Barry's aid. He was laying on the ground gasping in pain as Captain Cold stood over him, the cold gun pointed threateningly at his chest. As she got closer, she whipped out the gun tucked in her back pocket and yelled out at Snart.

"Drop it!" She cocked the gun in his direction, catching his attention. "Drop it or I shoot." Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest, and she was sure that one day this job would give her a heart attack, either that or all the stress would.

"I was wondering who you were talking to," Snart sneered, his gun still pointed at Barry. Sophia kept her eyes trailed on Snart, her gun held firmly in her hand, and to her side the others appeared, the vacuum in hand, and Cisco pressed a button, making it sound like a gun turning on.

"I'd do what she says, and drop it. This is a prototype cold gun, four times the size, four times the power, so unless you want a taste of your own medicine, I'd back the hell up," Cisco announced, pointing the nozzle in his direction.

"Your hands are shaking, neither of you are going to shoot. We'll maybe the beauty over there, she looks like hell in high heels," Snart commented which caused Barry to deepen his death glare at Cold through the pain.

"There's a first time for everything, Captain Cold," Cisco said, and Caitlin nearly groaned in annoyance wondering why the hell Cisco had to refer to him as Captain Cold in this situation.

"If you don't back away, I will shoot you," Sophia said firmly, her gaze never wavering, the gun still firmly pointed in his direction. "Your call." The stand-off continued for a moment more, and Sophia's anxiousness was beginning to slowly rise. She wasn't sure that Cold was buying their performance, and if he didn't let Barry go, they'd all be frozen solid.

"You win," Captain Cold said as he powered down the gun, and started to back away from Barry, his hands up in the air as a gesture of peace. Snart's eyes remained cold and collected as he stared at Sophia, his gaze never wavering as he left the scene. The attention sent a chill down her spine, but she tried to ignore it, and focus more on the fact that Barry was laying on the ground and injured. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that they would be seeing each other again, and that was not something she was looking forward to.

"Hey, leave the diamond!" Cisco called out as Snart walked away, causing Sophia to let out an "oh my god."

"Couldn't shoot him if I wanted to. This is actually the Star Labs vacuum cleaner with a lot of L.E.D's." Sophia shook her head at Cisco's comment, as she rushed over to Barry's side, sliding one arm underneath his to help him stand up, Felicity getting the other.

"Let's get you warm," Felicity said and Barry gave her a weak smile in response.

"Wait-Sophia where did you get that gun?" Caitlin asked with widening eyes as she realised the nurse had somehow managed to procure a gun. Everyone looked at her, not expecting that she of all people would have such a deadly weapon. "Oh this." With her right hand she brought up the black hand-gun, eyeing it curiously with pursed lips.

"It's actually a water pistol." And with that everyone burst into laughter. "I'm serious, look," she said, pointing the gun at Cisco and pressing the button. The water sprayed out hitting Cisco in the face, causing him to groan out loud, but this only seemed to increase their laughter as they shuffled into the cramped van. Sophia sat across from Barry, her eyes were on the road, but she could feel someone's gaze on her. When she titled her head slightly, she caught Barry's stare, and offered him a small smile, her way of saying that she was glad he was safe, and he could tell by the look in her eyes. He mouthed 'sorry' and she nodded her head slightly, looking down, and he knew that she accepted his apology for pushing them away. Barry looked around, glad that he had such amazing friends, and he was happy that they were on their way back to Star Labs, ready to call it a day.

* * *

"We've been trying to track Snart, but he must have disconnected the signal somehow."

"We'll find him, Cisco, together," Barry said, placing his hand on Cisco's shoulder.

"You have a great team here Barry. Speaking of teams, I should probably get back to mine," Felicity mentioned, and Sophia was sad to see her go. It was so nice to have some more women around.

"It was nice meeting you, Ms. Smoak," Dr. Wells said, shaking her hand. "Please extend a hello to the Arrow for us."

"I will."

"Goodbye Felicity! Promise to come and visit whenever, you're always welcome," Sophia said, throwing her arms around Felicity and giving her a big hug. Felicity giggled, hugging back, and giving her a bright smile as she pulled away.

"Goodbye Felicity." Barry was next to say goodbye.

"Bye, Barry." Felicity smiled. She was happy she made the trip to visit Central City and see how Barry was going. She felt elated that he was on the road to recovery, and that he was becoming a fine young superhero, and that he was in the safe hands of the team at Star Labs.

Sophia went in search of her bag, ready to head home and get some rest. As far as she knew everyone had already left, leaving her alone in the building. As she walked down the halls of Star Labs, she thought she saw Dr. Wells' wheelchair ahead, empty. She did a double take, and when looking back she didn't see anything, just an empty hallway. She scrunched up her brow in confusion, rubbing her eyes. She shrugged it off as her tired mind trying to trick her and ignored the chill she got as she walked by, and headed to her car, ready to get a good night's sleep.

What she didn't know was that Dr. Wells was now carefully watching her as she left. He let out a deep sigh, berating himself for not being careful enough. If he hadn't rushed in, and moved the chair, his whole charade of being paralysed would have been up. He promised himself that he would be moving up the timeline for his plans. Having an extra variable added to the equation was proving to be a nuisance, and one that he wouldn't let, ruin his years of patience and planning.

 **A/N:**

 **This is the longest chapter so far, reaching 19 pages, and over 11,000 words.**

 **These chapters seem to be getting longer and longer. I hope that's a good thing. ;) But unfortunately the next two chapters will be smaller, mainly because I wanted to keep those two a little bit chill because after that things will start to get interesting, and it's sort of the calm before the storm.**

 **Thank you again for the reviews. Glad that you enjoyed the last chapter, and that a lot of you seemed to enjoy the original content with Sophia, and seeing her do her job.**

 **Special thanks to** _ **Brown-Eyed-Marauderette, Marloweee1856, Pour l'amour est de dtruire, Arya2013, CuteGlasses, The EverReader, shadowshunter12, MatthewGreyGulberLoveXXX, attentionnow, silentmayhem, itsreagann and SuferGirl711**_ **for the favourites and follows!**

 **Glad that you're enjoying the chemistry between Sophia and Barry that is slowly building up! Thank you** _ **Shadowshunter12, PrincessMagic, Highlander348, xAnnaBananax and Speedy00**_ **for the reviews last chapter. Great to hear your thoughts, and I know that it was a bit confusing with the introduction of Sophia's powers, but keep in mind that 1. She doesn't remember and 2. It'll all be explained soon in the chapters to come, that was just a sneak preview of how the particle accelerator changed her.**

 **I'll be on holiday for two weeks, and might be unable to post an update. I'm trying my very best to get a chapter pre-prepared and edited, and upload it on so I can post it from my phone, but we will have to see how things go. But everyone's busy around this time of year, so please be patient with me if it takes more than a week to get the next chapter.**

 **If it ends up working, then the next post should be up by next year… Probably around the 3** **rd** **of Jan, 2016.**

 **Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you all.**

 **Stay safe over the break. See you next time.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. X**


	5. Dead or Alive?

CHAPTER FIVE

 _How often do you think about why your friends came into your life? Was it random, by design, or maybe a little of both? Regardless of the reason, some friends you just know are gonna be by your side for a while. Others, you're not so sure. And then there's that one friend who, well, you hope, someday becomes something more. But a friend will have to do for now. And that's okay. I guess._

The sound of glasses clinking together, drinks being slurped down, and darts hitting a board, were the background noise to the bar that night. Laughter bubbled up occasionally to accompany the chatter that was echoing throughout the joint. Soft music played in the background, adding a lightness that seemed to relax everyone in the bar.

Eddie and Iris had chosen the bar for the little social outing that night, wanting to enjoy time with their friends outside of work. She had called Barry that morning, asking him to invite a few people and meet them there after work. She figured that it would be a nice way to relax, and let off some of that steam and stress from work with a few cold beers, and perhaps some fun games.

"I'm glad you invited Caitlin and Cisco," Iris said, before continuing, and Barry thought he was safe from her relentless teasing, but evidently he was wrong, "And Sophia as well, I mean how _good_ does she look in that dress. We should invite her out with us more often," Iris teased, with a smirk on her face as she took a sip from her colourful alcoholic drink.

"Shhh you," Barry mumbled, taking a sip of the drink he had been nursing for a good half hour. Barry's eyes then flickered over to Cisco and Caitlin who were chatting amongst themselves.

"They're cool right?" Barry asked, unsure how Iris felt about the other two. He knew that Sophia and Iris had bonded quite a bit whilst he was under for 9 months, but he wasn't sure how she saw his other friends. He wanted her to like them as much as he did, and he had a feeling that this was the case.

"They saved your life Barry. That makes them the coolest people I've ever met," Iris said honestly, a smile on her face as she did so, causing Barry to mirror her actions.

"It's nice that you guys became friends."

"To friends, old and new." They toasted, Iris taking a sip of her drink, and Barry downing the rest of his drink, the cool liquid leaving a burning sensation as it travelled down his throat. It was a moment later, when he didn't feel the usual buzz of the alcohol setting in that he frowned, knowing that something was wrong.

"Ooh, I'm up. Wish me luck," Iris cheered with a beaming smile as she ran over to Eddie and Sophia who were occupied with darts. Sophia seemed to be winning, which made Iris laugh, because Sophia claimed that she had terrible aim, when in fact, she seemed to be hitting perfect scores, her darts finding their way to the middle of the target effortlessly.

"Prepare to be destroyed, again," Iris declared playfully after Sophia had won her round, causing Eddie to laugh, throwing a smirk her way as he replied.

"Don't get cocky, West," he teased, moving forward and placing a firm kiss on her lips.

Sophia laughed, and moved to the side, taking a sip of her drink as she watched the couple flirt shamelessly as they played the game. Even though she knew that their relationship had brought a bit of trouble between Iris and her father, Sophia saw that it wasn't wasted. They were in love, and it wasn't something she had seen in a long time, at least not like this. She was happy for her friends, glad that they had found each other. As she looked on, she wondered if she would ever find someone who clicked with her like that. After a few years of failed relationships, she sort of gave up with dating, which made her sad because she ached for that sort of companionship. It wasn't just about having a lover, it was the friendship that came with it that made her want it so desperately. To have someone to come to after a long day at work, or someone to share your hopes and dreams with, and even your darkest secrets. She never had someone like that in her life before, and she wondered if she was missing out on it, but most importantly she wondered if she would ever have something like it.

Her eyes moved from the adorable couple over to Barry who was sitting at the bar drinking with Caitlin and Cisco. She slowly snuck over, only to arrive when Caitlin pulled out a blood collection kit.

"Do I even want to know what's going on?" Sophia asked, an eyebrow raised as they all turned to her with wide eyes.

"The alcohol isn't affecting Barry, probably due to his hyper-metabolism, I was just going to take a sample," Caitlin explained and Sophia nodded, pursing her lips as she thought about the situation before she spoke up.

"Wait, you carry a blood collection kit in your purse?" Sophia asked, giving her friend a weird look causing the boys to laugh.

"You have your hobbies," Caitlin huffed, and Sophia rolled her eyes playfully.

"Here why don't you try something a little stronger, and see if that helps at all," Sophia figured, ordering some new drinks from the bar tender. It was now 20 minutes later, 15 shots of the strongest alcohol they served here and Barry was still as sober as anything.

"Still nothing," Cisco asked.

"I can't get drunk," Barry said, sounding deflated. "I'm only 25 and my drinking days are already over," he said lamely as he looked down.

"Sorry buddy." Cisco placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"We'll figure something out…"

As the little gang continued to talk, and Barry continued to pout about this new discovery that wasn't all that great, Eddie's phone rang. They all looked on to see what was going on. His face turned from playful to stoic within seconds as the phone call went on. Once he had hung up, he slipped his phone into his pocket, and grabbed his jacket.

"There was a bombing on 8th and pass, I got to go babe." Eddie announced, gaining a nod from Iris. He gave her a quick kiss before slipping on his jacket and leaving, making his way to the crime scene.

"I've got an early shift at Jitters," Iris said suspiciously, slipping on her coat as well, "Barry we'll catch up tomorrow."

"It's getting late anyway-." But he didn't finish his sentence because Iris was already out the door, and the others all knew where he was headed to next.

"Go!" Sophia ushered, as they all moved out and to her car where they headed back to Star Labs to guide Barry as he pursued the bomber. Once he made it to the building, he looked up, noticing that there was a worker outside the building, who was now hanging off a broken cart that looked like it was going to snap any second.

"Guys, there's a window washer, he's gonna fall!" Barry yelled through his mic, unsure of what to do.

"Don't try and catch him, you don't have super strength," Cisco mused, typing away at his computer as he tried to locate access to some security cameras to see what was going on live.

"Well, is there, like a bed store near here? What if I get a bunch of mattresses and stack them?" Barry asked, and Sophia face palmed- literally. _What was this? An episode of looney toons?_

"Barry, this isn't a road runner cartoon," Caitlin interjected, her words mimicking Sophia's thoughts exactly.

"Help!" they heard the guy yell, clearly slipping from the ledge of the window washer cart as his grip faltered.

"How fast would I need to go to run up the side of a building?" Barry asked as he looked up and down, trying to estimate how far up he would need to go to catch the guy.

"How far up do you need to go?"

"I don't know, 50 meters give or take," he replied anxiously. He needed to get up there soon otherwise this guy was going to fall, and well- die.

"Just run really fast and you'll be fine," Caitlin answered, Cisco continuing "But you need to maintain your velocity on the way down…"

"Or what?" he asked anxiously.

"Splat," Sophia said her face slightly contorting as she imagined that scene in her head. _Yeah that's not good._

"Great." Barry stated flatly and everyone else cringed.

"Be careful," Sophia cautioned and Barry sighed.

"All right, all right, here goes," Barry ran forward, taking a giant leap as he ran up the side of the building, picking up the window washer, and running all the way back down, maintaining the same speed the whole way through, sighing in relief as his feet touched the concrete ground.

Sophia didn't have a chance to wait for Barry to get back to Star Labs when her phone went off. She saw that it was a private number, and ignored it, focusing her attention back on what was going on. But then it went off again, and again and again. She frowned, wondering who it could be.

She pressed the green button, accepting the call and brought it to her ear, but before she could even say hello, she heard something she thought she would never hear again in her life.

She heard a voice.

A voice that shouldn't have been spoken.

A voice that she thought was gone forever.

A voice that belonged to a dead woman.

It was Anna's voice.

"Hello, it's me."

Those three words were enough to make her blood run cold, sending shivers down her spine. Anxiety was coursing through her, and she felt sick to her stomach. She bit down hard on her tongue, the bitter metallic taste of her blood now in her mouth. _How_. Her eyes were wide, and she could already feel the confused tears forming, as she took shaky breaths.

"Aren't you going to answer your phone?" Caitlin asked, looking at Sophia, unsure as to why she froze when she had the phone pressed to her ear.

"I-I… I need to take this in private," Sophia rushed out before sprinting out of the building and to her car. The call was still going as she looked down at the screen, and she was sure she was having a heart attack.

She sat in her car, trying not to hyperventilate as she took deep breaths.

With shaking fingers, she held onto the phone, her index finger turning the mute button off and hesitantly speaking into the phone. She could hear breathing on the other side as well, as though it really was Anna.

"Sophia," a meek voice came through the line again, and Sophia nearly choked on the air she was already struggling to breathe in.

"Anna?" She asked, the tears blurring her vision, her heart ready to lurch out of her chest.

"Yes, it's me."

"Oh my god, h-how? You're supposed to be dead, I-I, Y-you died." Sophia's words came out chopped and shaky as she tried to make sense of things.

"I-I don't know either."

There was silence again, and the tears trailed down Sophia's face and she wiped at them furiously. She needed to find her. She needed to help her friend. She needed to bring her home.

"A-Anna, w-where are you?" she asked in-between sniffs.

"I-I'm in Metropolis. This guy, he uh found me. He's been helping me ever since," Anna explained. "He's been a real sweetheart, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to call you, I just-."

" _Ten months_ Anna. Y-you died ten months ago," Sophia said, cutting Anna off. Sophia dragged her hand roughly through her hair, scratching her scalp with a pressure that was painful.

"I know sweetie," Anna breathed out shakily, "I'm so sorry, I promise, I'll explain, in person."

"Where are you now?"

"At an apartment in the inner city of metropolis, I'll send you the details." Even though all Sophia could feel at this point was devastation and shock, she knew that she had to see Anna.

"I'll book a flight as soon as I can, I'll call you as soon as I know," Sophia said and she heard Anna sniff on the other side of the line.

"I'm so sorry about this all Soph, and I promise you that I'll explain everything."

Sophia hung up, and turned her car on, driving over to her apartment to grab a few things before she left. She dropped Chewie off with her neighbour who didn't mind cat sitting for her for a couple of days.

"Sorry Chewie, I promise, I'll only be gone for a few days," She whispered to her cat, and Chewie purred in reply. She gave her a nuzzle before putting her down and saying goodbye. Sophia then ran up back to her apartment, throwing the door open and pulling out a small suitcase. She walked across the room to her closet where she pulled out a few tops and some jeans, throwing them in the mix of a mess of clothes that were piling up in her bag. Just as she was doing so she heard a knock at her door. She turned around in panic, forgetting she didn't shut the door, only to see Cisco standing there.

"Hey, are you alright? You ran out of Star Labs a few hours ago with no explanation, so I decided to come check up on you." Cisco asked, as she stood in front of her bag, her hand on her chest.

"I-I'm fine," She lied, moving slightly, trying to hide her bag from Cisco's view, which failed immediately as he caught on, peering his head around to see what was there.

"Why are you packing a bag? Are you okay?" Cisco asked, stepping forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know, you can tell me anything right?"

"I-I," she stumbled over her words, and couldn't form a coherent sentence, and Cisco told her to take it easy, and she took a deep breath before trying again.

"The person who called me earlier, it-it was Anna," Sophia confessed with sad and confused eyes.

"What-."

"She's alive."

"-the frick frack! Oh. My. God!" Cisco finished exclaimed with wide eyes.

"I know, I-I know," Sophia breathed out, and both her and Cisco sat down on the floor leaning against her bed. It was silent for a minute or so before Cisco hesitantly asked her the big question.

"Is she a meta-human?"

"I-I don't know. All she said was that some guy in Metropolis was helping her out, and taking care of her. I have no idea how she survived, I mean they saw her body after the accident… right?" Sophia tried to reason. "I've got a ticket for a flight leaving in three hours, I-I need to pack, I need to call work and let them know I won't be in for a few days, I-,"

"Hey-hey, just relax. Breathe," Cisco said, and Sophia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. But she found that it was hard to do so. Her heart was racing, and her breathing irregular. She was close to having a panic attack.

"Don't worry about anything. Just get yourself organised, pack your bag and catch that flight. I'll take care of everything else," Cisco assured her, and Sophia threw her arms around his neck, giving him the biggest hug ever.

"You are seriously the best- best friend in the universe, you do know that right?"

"Of course I know that," Cisco scoffed playfully, as he hugged her.

"Thank you," Sophia said softly, wiping her eyes.

"Come on, let's get you packed and ready to go." They got up, and between the two, had all of her things packed and ready to go within twenty minutes. Cisco had also booked her ticket, printed the flight details, and a map of the address that she was heading to. She was so thankful for the help and support, knowing that without it, it would have taken much longer and she would have been in an even crappier mood.

"One more thing before I go."

"Shoot," Cisco said, slipping his hands into his pockets as she locked up her apartment.

"Do you mind filling in the gang? Just let them know what's going on? Just them, no one else. Not yet," Sophia asked, she trusted them, and if something did happen to Anna that night, she would need their support, and their help to get to the bottom of it all.

"No problem, now get going before you miss your flight," Cisco said, ushering her out of the building where she whistled for a cab. As she climbed in, her heart beating nervously in her chest, she waved lamely goodbye as Cisco stood outside on the street, watching her leave.

And with that she was off to Metropolis, wondering what was waiting for her once she arrived.

* * *

The flight to metropolis was not long from Central City. What was long, was waiting in line to get checked-in and go through security, before boarding the flight. She had forgotten how tedious the whole process was, and within a few minutes was reminded why she hated flying back home to Kansas, and rarely did so. By the time she had landed in Metropolis, the sky had morphed from dark navy to a brilliant baby blue as the sun rose, indicating the dawn of a new day. Once she arrived, she called Anna's phone only to receive no reply. Worried, she figured she would just head to the address provided.

As she drove over, the same thoughts that had ran through her head in the flight over, were now plaguing her mind yet again. _How_ this all happened was the big question. How did she get mistakenly pronounced dead? How did she end up in Metropolis of all places? And why. Why didn't she contact Sophia sooner? Why did she leave it this long? Was she trying to hide something, was she in some sort of trouble? Endless scenarios played over in her mind and none of them were good.

She tugged on her suitcase, pulling it forward towards the sidewalk in front of the airport. She brought her two fingers up to her mouth, whistling for a taxi. Seconds later, a car appeared before her, the bumbling taxi driver, exiting his car and helping her put her suitcase in the boot.

"Where to miss?" The driver asked, buckling in.

"22 Walker street, please," Sophia responded and with a nod the driver started the car, and away they went. The driver said they would arrive within twenty minutes, and for the rest of the car ride, Sophia stared out the window, aimlessly watching the scenery pass by. She had so many questions for Anna, but she didn't know where to start. But the first thing she was going to do, was to give her the biggest hug in the world. Drowning out the world, it took her a moment to respond when to the driver, when she noticed the car had stopped and they were now at their destination.

She paid him the fee, insisting he keep the change as he helped her out with her bags.

She stood in front of what looked like an apartment building. Must be the mysterious friends place. With a deep breath, she walked up the black stone coloured steps and towards the front door. As she walked in the lobby, she saw one hell of a handsome guy leaning against the wall. He was ridiculously tall, taller than Barry she noted as she looked at him, examining his features, from the dark skin, to the bright smile he threw her way as he noticed her enter the building. She gave him an unsure smile back as he walked towards her.

"Are you Sophia?" He asked, with a deeply tuned melodious voice she hadn't expected from him, something she had to say was quite relaxing.

"U-um yeah…" she replied unsure of who this guy was, though she had to admit he had a gorgeous smile, even if it was slightly crooked.

"I'm Jimmy, Jimmy Olsen," He said, putting out his hand, which she shook, giving him a small smile.

"Sophia Lang."

"Wow- I mean Anna said you were gorgeous, but I didn't think she was telling the truth-." He babbled on and Sophia would have blushed if she wasn't so focused on the mention of Anna.

"Anna, you-you know Anna?" She asked with a dazed tone and he nodded, that same smile still stuck on his face. He must have been the guy that Anna was talking about, the one who had helped her.

"Yeah, I think we should take this inside, maybe upstairs to her apartment," Jimmy suggested and Sophia nodded eagerly, following him to the elevator up. Like a gentleman he grabbed her luggage, and carried it up. They made it to the apartment, Jimmy opening it with what looked like a spare key. As soon as they walked in, they heard a voice call out.

"Hey Jimmy, I'm nearly done with the pasta. I think I have a missed call from Soph, wanna give her a call back?" Sophia nearly fainted at hearing her friend's voice, especially since she was talking so casually.

"Actually, that's whose here to see you," Jimmy said with a smile on his face, as he took Sophia's bags in, motioning for her to enter the kitchen. Slowly she walked in, one step at a time, and Anna was standing there in the kitchen, with a pair of denim jeans on and a baggy grey t-shirt, her hair swept up into a messy bun, like the countless times she had seen before.

"It's really you," Sophia breathed out and she ran up to her friend, Anna doing the same as they encircled their arms around each other, hugging tight as they wept. After crying and clinging onto each other for far too long, Jimmy pulled the two apart with laughter, settling them down in the lounge on the couch, whilst he finished off preparing the lunch, which was going to burn if they left it alone for any longer.

Now sitting across next to each other on the couch, they caught up. Sophia hadn't asked the question yet, because she didn't know how to ask. Anna could easily sense this, knowing her better than anyone, and approached the subject herself.

"I don't remember much. The night the accelerator exploded that is," Anna started off slowly, as Sophia hesitantly turned to face her. "All I remember is driving home, then seconds before the crash there was a bright light, exploding in the sky. That's all, that's it."

"That's it?" Sophia inquired, with a raised eyebrow. That couldn't be everything, after all, the police had found her body after the crash, they had even identified the bastard who had hit her car and left the scene, so how on earth could they not have realised that her body had gone missing after she was declared dead?

"But, the police-they saw your body… _How_?" Sophia breathed out.

"I don't know. Honestly, after everything that happened, I'm happy I don't remember. I woke up in a hospital in metropolis a few months ago, Jimmy had found me walking around aimlessly in the middle of the night, with a broken arm, and a bleeding abdomen," Anna explained with a solemn face, "Ever since, he's taken care of me and to tell you the truth, I'm happy here," Anna admitted.

"So you basically have no memory of your accident, or- well what happened after it. What I still don't get is how the police saw your body after the accident, declared you dead and now all of a sudden you turned up in metropolis and you're living here," Sophia spoke, becoming even more confused as she went on.

"I know, I know. It's confusing, but I'd rather leave it all in the past, I'm happy now and I'm grateful for that," Anna said with a small smile, but Sophia felt like she was keeping something from her. She figured she wouldn't pry into it yet, she wanted to get use to the fact that her friend was still alive before causing trouble with her.

"So… does that mean you never want to come back to Central City?"

" _Well…_ ," Anna dragged on, only to receive an 'are you serious' look from Sophia. "I _am_ happy here," Anna said as she turned her head around to look at Jimmy who was setting the table for dinner, before turning back "Plus, I was declared dead in Central City right? If I went back, how would that turn out? Not very well I'm sure." When Sophia remained silent, Anna pipped up again.

"I'm not saying that I'd never come back, just not right now. Not until we sort out what's happened, and the best way I can figure that out is to stay here. Jimmy is a journalist, and he has some really _intuitive_ friends who are good with this sort of stuff."

"Fine, only because Jimmy is such a nice friend- is he just a friend?" Sophia asked, with a wink which caused Anna to blush.

"Shhh you, let's go, I think lunch is ready to be served," Anna laughed, and Sophia smiled, grabbing her hand as she pulled her up off the couch and they made their way over to the table to eat.

* * *

The next two hours were spent gorging on mouth-watering pasta, cheap wine and dessert even though it had just hit 3pm. The three sat there laughing over old memories and some new ones that both had made. It was a few hours later that Jimmy decided that it was time for him to head home, declaring that he had a deadline he had to meet by later that night for the Daily Planet.

"I'll see you around." And with that Jimmy had left, at least not before giving Anna a tight hug before leaving. That caused Sophia to stand behind the two with wide eyes as Anna moved to shut the door.

"Anything you wanna tell me Annie?" Sophia joked, and the two laughed. They had changed into their PJ's and they were now laying down on Anna's bed, arms underneath their heads, and their eyes staring at the roof, Anna's small lamp illuminating the room.

"About Jimmy? Nah, he's just a friend. It's his best friend who I'm crazy about. His name is Clark, he works at the daily planet. He's been real helpful with this whole situation. He's been so kind and he's just so-," And Anna couldn't even finish her sentence, just sighing, unable to communicate her feelings at this point. "What about you?" Anna said, turning over on her side to face Sophia who was still laying face up. "I mean, it's been a while, anyone caught your eye yet?"

"Maybe…" Sophia said thinking of Barry. Every time she thought about him, she would feel a light flutter in her stomach, travelling throughout her chest, threatening to burst. She hadn't felt this way about someone in a long time, and it was slowly driving her insane because she knew that he still had feelings for Iris, and she doubted that anything would ever happen between them.

"Oh my god, _there_ is?"

"Why is that such a surprise?" Sophia scoffed, offended at Anna's comment.

"Who is it? Is it that cute guy that works at the salad bar down the road from Jitters? Or-or is it that total hot bod from work?" Anna asked excitedly causing Sophia to giggle, it felt like they were back in high school.

"No, and no. I met him at work, saved his life actually." Sophia said, carefully. She liked Barry, but she knew that it was just a small crush. It was never going to go anywhere, it was clear that Barry was infatuated with Iris, who was dating Eddie. It was a disaster waiting to happen, so she figured that she was allowed to look from a distance, but to make sure that her feelings didn't linger, because it would only end in heartbreak… at least that's what she told herself.

"Mmmm, go on, go on."

"Well. He's quite tall, smart, a bit of a nerd, but I like that about him." Sophia started off, "He's a real brave person. I don't think I've met anyone else in my life like him."

"Sounds like you're in loveeeeeeee," Anna teased, in a sing-song voice. Sophia frowned rolling over on her side so she was face to face with Anna.

"No, I'm not. We're just friends."

"Sure," Anna countered.

"We are! I swear… it's just a _small_ crush."

"That's how it always starts out, next thing you know," Anna made kissy noises, and Sophia groaned, playfully slapping her arm.

"I-it's not like that. It-It won't ever be like that."

"And why not missy?"

"Because, I'm like 99 per cent sure he's still in love with his best friend," Sophia said deflated, looking down and playing with the loose string on her tee.

"Never say never," And Sophia gave Anna a look, "Just saying." It was silent for a few minutes, both of the girls just enjoying each other's presence.

"I'm hungry," they mumbled simultaneously, causing them to burst out into harmonious laughter.

"I'll go get the sorbet."

"I'll get the spoons." and with that the two girls stayed up til the sun rose, talking about anything and everything as they slowly finished the tub of lemon and lime sorbet.

* * *

Sunlight poured through the sheer white curtains that were draped across Anna's windows. Sophia rolled over, looking for Anna, but panicked when she didn't see her. For a second she freaked out, wondering if it was just all in her head, if her friend was still dead. But when she smelt pancakes and the sweet scent of maple syrup she knew that Anna had woken up early to make Sophia's favourite for breakfast.

Sophia grudgingly got out of bed, and riffled through her suitcase trying to find her toothbrush and a change of clothes. She jumped into the shower, washing her hair and changing in under 10 minutes. By the time she was done, Anna was calling her for breakfast.

"Mmmm," Sophia hummed as she took the first bite. It was her favourite chocolate chip pancakes, drowned in an agreeable amount of maple syrup and piled high with kiwi-fruit, strawberries, bananas and blueberries. Her favourite.

"So, I was thinking I could take you on a tour of metropolis today, you interested?" Anna asked, as they ate breakfast taking a sip of her coffee.

"Sounds great."

Soon they had finished, and were now getting ready to head out. That's when Sophia's phone rang. And rang, and rang and rang.

"Hey, if you don't answer that, I will," Anna yelled out, and Sophia came rushing through from the bedroom, through to the kitchen, to grab her phone.

"Barry?" Sophia answered the phone in surprise.

"Hey, Cisco told me what happened. A-are you alright?" Barry's nervous voice came through the line. Cisco had told the whole team, the state he had found Sophia in, and Barry wanted to check in on her. He would have called earlier but they were dealing with an explosive Meta and an angry military general.

"Yeah-yeah. I'm good," Sophia said with a real smile on her face, glad to hear his voice. As she continued talking she missed the smug look Anna had as she listened in on the conversation. "I got here safely, Anna's good, great in fact. I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"That's great news to hear, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," And they were both silent for a while, both smiling on the other sides of the phone.

"Um, how's everyone back home, the fort still holding down?" Sophia said, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, not wanting Anna to find out that she was secretly working with the streak in her spare time.

"We're all okay, we just miss you."

"I-I miss you too, a-and Caitlin and Cisco…" Sophia quickly corrected herself.

"Sophia, I've got to go. Take care of yourself," Barry rushed out quickly, obviously being needed somewhere.

"I will." And with that she hung up. She ran a hand through her hair, turning around to see Anna watching her with a cheeky look on her face.

" _So…_ Barry?" Anna teased.

"Shhh you. Let's get going, we don't have all day." Sophia threw back and soon they were off, sunglasses on, and ready to enjoy their day out.

They spent the day laying underneath the sunshine in a lovely park with a way too complicated name. They sat underneath a willow tree, enjoying ice-cold lemonade they picked up at a street vendor. Laughter filled their ears like music on replay, as they travelled all around town like tourists, even being lucky enough to catch a glimpse of _the_ Superman flying around town. Sophia stood there with her mouth open like a gaping fish as he flew by. She was jealous of his ability to do so, and swore she felt a tingle in her feet as she watched him move above in the sky, but pushed it aside as a chill from the wind.

The rest of the week flew by. Sophia didn't know where the time went by. They spent another day with Jimmy, even having the pleasure of meeting his friend Lois Lane, who was a serious reporter at the Daily Planet, causing Sophia to wish that Iris was here with her; she knew that she would have loved the opportunity to meet her. She was bummed that she didn't get a chance to meet the mysterious Clark Kent that Anna was going on about. He seemed like a nice guy, and Sophia wanted to thank him for being such a good friend to Anna through this tough and confusing time. The remaining two days were spent trying to piece together what actually happened to Anna that day. So far they only had recounts of events from the night of the crash, and then her waking up in metropolis, wandering the streets. There was at least three weeks of missing time that Anna could not account for, and neither could any other sources. This left a disturbing feeling in Sophia's stomach. Anna promised that Jimmy would be helping her out, and that she was actually meeting someone who could help her in a few days, this put Sophia at ease… for the moment.

"I can't believe it's been a week," Sophia admitted, as the taxi driver was placing her bag in the back of his car. She pulled her black hoodie closer to her, savouring the warmth as the chilly breeze floated through the gaps.

"I know. Come and visit, whenever you can." Anna said, with a small smile, as she pushed her fringe out of her vision.

"I-I will. Be safe, and promise me that if you find anything out, you will call."

"I promise."

"Arrivederci," Sophia said, walking up to Anna and pulling her in for a tight hug.

"Auf Wiedersehen," Anna wiped a tear from her cheek as she waved goodbye, with a smile, sad to see her friend go when she only just got her back. Anna then walked back up to her apartment, a solemn smile on her face, as she watched Sophia leave. She plopped herself down on her couch, and sighed, thinking a nap was overdue when she noticed the door to her small balcony was open.

She cautiously walked forward, her foot ready to step outside when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she turned around, releasing her breath when she saw who it was, recognising the familiar face immediately.

"My god, you gave me a heart attack," Anna whispered angrily as she took a deep breath, her hand placed on her chest. "Was that seriously necessary?"

"Well maybe if you remember to lock your doors, it won't be," Superman teased, and Anna rolled her eyes at his jest.

"Yeah, whatever you say," She mumbled closing the door behind her, and locking it properly this time. She also pulled down the sheer curtains, giving them some privacy, she didn't need anyone seeing Superman in her apartment.

"Let's get down to business," He said, his strong blue eyes meeting her gaze.

 **A/N –**

 **Yes, ANNA IS ALIVE.**

 **Did you see that coming, or not? I'd love to hear your thoughts. As for the other questions about whether she is a meta or not, well that will be answered in future chapters, including the interesting fact that she knows SUPERMAN of all people.**

 **Currently leaving for a holiday at the moment, so all of this has been pre-written and pre-prepared. I'll be able to respond to reviews via PM. And I promise that I will, if I get a chance to connect to the internet. That's why I decided to post this early rather than later, because I wasn't sure when I would have access to the internet next. So the next chapter wont be up for at least another week after this, maybe even 10 days.**

 **Thanks again to all those who continue to review, follow and favourite this story.**

 **Sorry if this chapter wasn't as great as the previous ones. I felt like this one was sort of lame in comparison… but it's just meant to be a lot of emotion with the reunion of Sophia and Anna.**

 **Love you guys.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	6. Accidental Kisses and Big Belly Burgers

CHAPTER SIX

"I haven't even been back for a whole week yet and you've managed to break at least a half a dozen bones in your hand, crack three of your ribs and bruise your spleen," Sophia listed off, shaking her head as Barry regained consciousness, squinting as the bright lights in the room shone down on the bed he was laying in. Sophia continued tending to his multiple wounds, still steaming inside since she found out what happened. She wasn't blaming him for getting hurt, she was blaming him for not calling back-up, or for any sort of help at all when he took on this new Meta.

She was just finishing off her shift, ready to go home and relax when she got an emergency call from Caitlin who needed her help. Barry had come into Star Labs with multiple injuries, and she couldn't tend to them all on her own, and needed assistance. Apparently there had been a car chase with a criminal involving multiple robberies that night, and Barry had ran down to assist the CCPD in apprehending the prime suspect. What he didn't know was that this prime suspect turned out to be a meta-human with the ability to turn into a man of steel… literally.

"Oh and you have a concussion," Caitlin threw in as she popped by with some meds, injecting them into the IV hooked up to Barry. "Even with your powers, you'll need a few hours to heal," Caitlin continued, as she examined the x-rays, and machines that were monitoring Barry's vitals.

"What exactly did you hit?" Cisco piped in, curious as to what could do this much damage. It was as though Barry had ran into a brick wall… multiple times judging by the damage done to his body.

"A man. A _big_ , bad man," Barry said, groaning as he tried to move. Sophia came over to him, leaning her body over his as she placed her arm underneath both of his, trying to help him shuffle on the bed into a more comfortable position, without causing him more pain.

"Better?" She asked, her brown eyes meeting his hazel gaze.

"Much." He replied gratefully with a cheeky smile at their closeness, causing her to roll her eyes and move back. But in reality she couldn't help but quirk a smile at his cheekiness, a light flutter erupting in her chest.

"Ahem," Cisco coughed, electing a laugh from Caitlin and a heavy sigh from Dr. Wells.

"His skin changed when I hit him," Barry continued, this time paying attention to Cisco. "Like it turned to metal."

"Interesting. A man of steel," Dr. Wells commented, clearly impressed by the meta-humans ability, but no one else seemed to pick up on the double meaning of his statement.

"So you went after a meta-human alone?" Sophia said, biting her lip. Yeah he had super powers, and he was smart, but sometimes he was also stupid.

"Dude, why didn't you call us?"

"I didn't know what he was." Barry defended. "Besides I was off duty."

"That's no excuse," Sophia said as she moved to inject his next dose of morphine into the IV. His body metabolised the drug so fast, this was the fourth dose she had administered since he got back to Star Labs. But it didn't matter all that much considering the bones would be healed within a few hours, and the pain would subside within the next hour at the latest. She didn't know if she was angry with him for not calling anyone, or just angry because he had gotten hurt. She found that lately it was harder to separate her personal feelings from the situation, and she had to admit that it honestly wasn't working for her.

"Hmm." Cisco hummed, not believing him. "You're lucky he didn't knock out your teeth. Those puppies don't grow back."

"The strange thing is I felt like I knew him." Barry elaborated, a confused expression on his face. The face that he saw that night looked so familiar, as though it was a face from the past, someone that he had known as a child, but he just couldn't remember exactly who it was, his memories faded and fuzzy as he tried to put a name to the face.

"What do you mean?" Caitlin asked curiously, urging him to elaborate.

"He said something that was familiar… but he's gonna hurt someone if we don't stop him." Barry said, "So how do I fight a guy that's made of steel?" They all looked around at each other, with worried expressions. This wasn't something that they had dealt with before. This Meta seemed to have brute strength, and they hoped that this wouldn't deter them from capturing him.

"We will find a way," Dr. Wells reassured them all. "Tonight, you heal." Dr. Wells ordered before he left the room, and Barry nodded. Cisco moved to do some more research on this meta-human trying to find a possible location or hideout whilst Caitlin notified them she'd be in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea to cool her nerves that Barry seemed to fry every time he came in with a new injury.

"You alright?" Sophia asked, not liking to see Barry in this much pain, but it seemed to be a regular thing each week.

"Yeah." Barry sighed, wincing as he moved into a sitting position on the side of the bed. Sophia moved and stood in front of him, to make sure he didn't fall off the bed. Once he was comfortable, his legs now hanging off the side of the bed, he noticed how close they were. Her hands were on his shoulder, and one of his on her right arm from when he moved, trying to keep balanced.

"Hi," Barry said softly as he stared at her, admiring the way the light hit her brown eyes, and the way her soft hair framed her face. He even seemed to notice that she had the lightest amount of freckles sprinkled across her nose, and her cheeks, which he thought was the cutest thing ever. He realised that lately, he had been thinking about her more than usual. The way that she spoke, and the way her eyes lit up with excitement when she was engrossed in conversation, or the way she was just so protective of her friends. He had been thinking about asking her out for a while now. At first the notion was hilarious, but now- now, he wanted to ask her so badly. He had denied himself of this sort of happiness for a while, thinking that he would never get over Iris. But after he realised that he had missed his chance, he knew that he needed to move on, and to find his own happiness he needed to take risks, to take chances.

"Hi?" Sophia questioned, an eyebrow raised, and Barry just shrugged, before taking a deep breath trying to build up the courage to just ask her the damn question.

"So I was thinking… did you want to maybe-," Barry started off before he was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. He groaned internally, putting on a fake smile as she pulled out her phone.

"Sorry gimme a second-," Sophia said, pulling her phone out of her back pocket, and answering it. "Sophia Lang speaking. Yes… a-are you sure? Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can," She sighed, hanging up the phone. "Sorry, I've got to go, there's an emergency, and clearly nothing can get down properly without me."

"It's fine," Barry replied, sort of relieved because he was a nervous little chicken who was scared of rejection after Iris. But he was kind of disappointed considering he had been trying to build up the courage to ask her out.

"Alright, see you later Allen." And in a swift motion, Sophia kissed him on the cheek and walked out of there, in a rush to get to work. It was only a few moments later, as she was unlocking her car, that her eyes grew wide as she realised what she had just done. She brought her hand up to her forehead, face palming, as she recounted her actions whilst a blushing Barry sat back in Star Labs- the aftermath of her actions.

" _Shit_."

* * *

As she was driving into work Sophia heard her phone buzzing. She leaned over to the other seat, one hand on the wheel, the other rifling through her bag where she grasped her phone, pressing the call button so it would connect through to her Bluetooth.

"Sophia, speaking."

"Anna calling," Anna replied with a light laugh and Sophia's face lit up with excitement.

"Hey! How are you?" She spoke enthusiastically. She hadn't spoken to Anna on the phone for a few days now, and it was good to hear her voice again. She missed her friend dearly. She was trying to come up with a plan to Skype with her at least once every few days, or once a week, but both lived busy lives. Sophia was spending most of her time working, and Anna was trying to unravel the mystery that her life was becoming.

"Good, as good as I can be I guess. Things are quite slow on the investigative front, haven't come up with any new information, and it's just about killing me," Anna said, sighing as she finished her sentence. All of her efforts this week had been fruitless, and yielded no results. It made her feel as though it was all worthless, like they would never discover the truth… well the part that she knew about anyway. But that was a story for another time. "So tell me, how are things in Central City?"

"Well, I've just been occupied with work lately, caught up with a few friends earlier which was nice. Just had a few drinks."

"With Barry?" Anna asked, a light tone of laughter hidden in her voice.

"Yes, and a few others," Sophia said, going onto explain the night of darts and drinks that had become a weekly ritual every Friday night.

"Sounds like fun."

"It was."

"I miss you," Anna blurted out, and she closed her eyes as she said the words. She was in control of her situation, she knew that she could have come back, she knew, but she made the choice to stay. She made the choice to figure her whole life out in Metropolis, and she needed to stand strong by her promise. But after seeing Sophia, the temptation to go back home was definitely there, and she was sure that she would crack soon.

"I know, I miss you too. I'll have to come down to metropolis sometime soon," Sophia promised.

"That'd be nice. I've got to run, someone's at the door. I'll call soon."

"No worries. Love you Anna."

"Love you Soph."

* * *

After a long double shift at the hospital, Sophia found herself back at Star Labs. Why? Because Cisco insisted that's why. Also he promised that he would buy her some big belly burger, and she could not deny herself of that pleasure after working so hard. So here she was sitting in Cisco's swivel chair, in her nurse scrubs, with her feet lounging on the desk next to the computer, eating chilli cheese fries. She had to admit that she wasn't a fan of greasy food, but after no sleep for 24 hours, it just seemed to be all that more alluring. That and she had never realised how good big belly burgers and chocolate milkshakes complimented each other until that moment.

" _Damn these are good,"_ Sophia moaned as she shoved some more in her mouth, but to the rest of them all they could hear was "Mm 'ese a good'".

"You're welcome," Cisco sarcastically replied, sneaking over and trying to steal a chip, to which Sophia pulled the packet away and out of his grasp. He threw a frown her way, and she sighed, hesitantly holding the packet out to him, and with a cheeky grin Cisco plucked a few chips. After all, sharing is caring.

"Your childhood nemesis is now an unstoppable meta-human," Caitlin said to Barry, and it brought the other two back to the present, leaving thoughts of delicious cheesy chips behind.

"This is seriously messed up," Cisco said, as Sophia turned around, and he stole another two chips without her noticing.

"I had a childhood nemesis, Lexi La Roche. She used to put gum in my hair," Caitlin said distastefully, cringing at the memory.

"Jake Puckett. If I didn't let him copy my homework he'd give me a swirly," Cisco stated, with a dead pan face. They all looked over to Sophia, expecting her to confess.

"What makes you think I had an arch nemesis?" She said, obviously lying, taking a long sip of her lemonade, making a squeaky noise as the straw tried to suck up whatever was left of the fizzy drink. Yes, that's right. She had gotten two drinks. Cisco was paying, so she figured why the hell not. They gave her a pointed look and she sighed wanting to stay in her little world of denial. "Her name was Mindy Walker, and she use to stick superglue on my chair, it was not pleasant…" Sophia blushed in embarrassment, and Cisco had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing, whereas Barry and Caitlin felt sympathy for her. You could clearly tell who loved teasing her. _God we are such nerds_ Sophia thought. She hadn't suffered through bullying that much during her high school years, but being a 14 year old was tough, and Mindy Walker had just decided that she basically hated the world, and everyone in it, which resulted in her terrorising the girls of 7th grade.

"Now that we've established that we're all _uber-nerds_ , what are we gonna do about Tony?" Barry asked.

"Glad you asked," Cisco declared, moving them all over to the small training room to reveal a robot scarily resembling something Sophia recalled from the master of disguise, when pistachio tries to learn martial arts. _God I watch too many crappy movies._

"We're gonna train you man, Karate Kid Style." Cisco said, "Behold! I call him Girder!" Cisco exclaimed, pulling off the cloth that concealed the robot.

"For the record, _not my idea_ ," Caitlin whispered to Sophia as they watched the two boys play around with the machine.

"If he breaks something, I'm not fixing it," Sophia said, she was way too tired, also she was still embarrassed from the surprise kiss she had given Barry yesterday, and wasn't sure she could handle herself. But then she realised that something was bound to happen knowing this genius- note the sarcasm- and she'd probably end up patching him up in the next ten minutes, max.

"Fighting is physics. It's not about strength. It's not about size. It's about energy and power," Cisco went onto explain, sounding scarily like he was trying to be wise.

"Channel your speed the right way and you can totally take this bad boy down."

"Now obviously your Girder is a moving target."

"So I have ice and bandages standing by," Caitlin piped in. Barry nodded, flexing his fingers as he bounced on his feet, before going straight for it. Using his speed, he punched, kicked and blocked as fast as he could, trying to beat the machine for a while before Cisco hit him with the mechanical arm, and quite hard as well, causing Barry to slam to the ground and groan in pain. _I knew it_ Sophia thought, looking at her watch to see that it had actually only taken four minutes for Barry to injure himself.

"I'm pretty sure I just dislocated my shoulder," Barry whimpered in pain as he did so. Sophia ran over quickly, Caitlin on the other side as they carefully lifted Barry up and moved him over to the bed.

"Okay, not gonna lie, this is gonna be quick but extremely painful," Sophia explained, as she placed her hands on his shoulder, getting it into the right position ready to pop it back when Barry's phone rang, interrupting.

"Oh, speaking of pain," Barry muttered as he looked at his phone to see that Eddie was calling. Things were quite awkward between the two at the moment, and he'd rather not have to interact with him if it wasn't necessary.

"Eddie, hey." Barry answered. "Great, I'll see you in a second."

"Okay, okay, let's do this," Barry said, not anticipating this at all. She cringed internally as she pushed as hard as she could, pushing his shoulder back into the cavity. Barry yelped in pain, his eyes popping as he took in heavy breaths, and she knew it had worked. "Sorry," she whispered, and he grimaced, still in pain as he zoomed off to the crime scene that Eddie needed him at. Looking at the clock Sophia decided she would go home and get some sleep.

"Call me if anything important happens," Sophia called out to Cisco as she was leaving.

"Will do Captain."

* * *

There was an incessant beeping noise, and Sophia buried her face further into her pillow, wanting to hold onto the every last second of peace before she was probably called into work again. The phone kept ringing and with her eyes still shut, she felt around for it on her side table. Grasping it in her hand, she answered the call, pressing it to her ear.

"Hello," she said, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"You said to call when something interesting happened."

"I believe I said important, but go on," Sophia said in a sleepy voice as she slipped out of bed.

"We think we found a way to take down Tony," Cisco elaborated.

"I'll be there."

About 20 minutes later, she arrived after forcing herself into something other than her nightie, which involved her squeezing into some jeans and grabbing her old Arctic Monkeys tee-shirt from the washing machine, which was still slightly wet, but she had no time to loose. She ran in the cortex just in time, hearing the commotion over the com system.

"Barry, wait!" Caitlin leaned forward, yelling through the mic.

"No way," Sophia breathed out, her eyes wide in anticipation. _He's not gonna do it…_

"He's gonna do it! Go, man, go!" Cisco cheered on, a second later they all heard the loud boom, and Tony was down. "Uh! Supersonic punch baby! Woo!" And they all cheered, gleeful smiles on their face, as Barry finally took Tony down.

" _Yeah_ , I think I broke my hand," Barry complained, grunting in pain.

"I think you've broken more bones in the last three days, than I have in my entire body." Sophia frowned, another broken bone. She shook her head, her and Caitlin would never get done patching him up.

"What I think she's trying to say is get your butt back here," Cisco butted in.

It wasn't long til Iris was back in the safe arms of her father and Eddie, while Barry dragged Tony's huge form back to Star Labs, throwing him in his own little cell. After locking him up, they all stood there, waiting for him to regain consciousness.

"Hey! What is this? Where the hell am I?" Tony yelled from the other side of the glass, pounding his fist on it, trying to get out.

"Somewhere you'll never hurt anyone ever again," Barry said, his face hidden in the shadows. Cisco chuckled as he watched the feed from outside the door with the girls. Barry was clearly enjoying this way too much.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Tony growled, moving closer to the glass, trying to enlarge his form and seem intimidating, even though he was locked up. _There is too much testosterone in that room_ Sophia thought, and as she looked over at Caitlin, she knew that she was thinking the same thing too.

"You know who I am." Barry replied dramatically, walking forward and stepping into the light. Tony's eyes squinted for a moment, focusing on the details of Barry's face before the recognition set in.

"Allen?"

"The thing that happened to you Tony, it happened to me too, but it didn't just give us abilities. It made us more of who we are. You got strong. I got fast. Fast enough to beat you. You used your gift to hurt people, not anymore." Cisco nodded his head proudly, admitting that it was pretty sweet.

"Allen. Allen. Allen, don't walk away from me, Allen! Hey! Come back here! Allen!" Tony yelled through the glass, impatiently as Barry started to walk away and the panic was setting in. Barry hit a button on the side, and Tony's cell retracted, moving back into the particle accelerator as the metal doors were locked shut.

Barry threw his fist in the air victoriously, feeling smug. He couldn't describe the feeling, just that he was elated, ecstatic and more. Taking down the guy who use to bully you as a kid, it just felt really good.

"Dude, that had to feel great," Cisco commented, with a huge smile on his face.

"You have no idea."

"Almost as good as proving me wrong about the supersonic punch?"

"Actually, that part hurt a lot." Barry grimaced, looking at his hand which had now healed. "Like, _a lot_."

"But I couldn't have done it without you guys," Barry admitted, causing the team to light up with smiles.

"All, _I_ want to know is which childhood bully are we gonna take down next? Mine or Caitlin's?" Cisco asked.

"What about Sophia's?" Barry mentioned, and Cisco and Caitlin shared secret smiles.

" _Yeah_ I sorted her out years ago, and trust me you do not want to know how," Sophia stated, causing Cisco's eye to twitch. She laughed internally, knowing that he would pester her later on to find out what happened.

"I vote mine," Cisco supplied when no one volunteered.

"Okay, yeah." And the three of them started to walk out of the room, and Cisco yelled out after them.

"What? _Guys_ this is not a joke." And laughter echoed through the halls of Star Labs.

* * *

Barry went to visit Iris later that night, as himself and not the streak. He felt guilty about their fight from earlier that day. He was just confused. Iris was his best friend, and he still had some feelings for her buried in there, even though he was trying to move on. Plus, the whole blogging about the streak thing was dangerous, and he couldn't let her put herself at risk.

"When I heard Tony took you, I-I just don't know what I would do if anything happened to you," Barry confessed. Regardless of her reciprocation of feelings, she was his best friend, and he would always protect her.

"Well, my guardian angel's looking out for me," Iris said with a smirk.

"Do you want to hang out and catch up?"

"Yeah. I would like that, yeah," she nodded with a smile. She missed hanging out with Barry. The last year had been full of ups and downs, and a lot of that time they missed being normal, and hanging out with each other like the old days. She was glad that they were mending their relationship, and going back to being the way things were before.

"I promise not to talk about The Streak tonight," Iris said, and Barry chuckled.

"No, I want you to." He said, and then realised how that sounded. "No, I mean-I want-,you can." _God get a hold of yourself Barry._ "I want you to talk about whatever you'd want to talk about. I know it's important to you." He finally got out, still cursing himself internally for the word vomit.

"Good, because it's not just The Streak," Iris began, pulling out her laptop. "There are others out there like him, I've gotten scattered posts about this guy that's on fire, except that he doesn't burn up."

"Okay, so wait. Wait," Barry held up his hand, "You're trying to find the burning man now too?" And the panic was back again.

"Yeah, why not? I mean, a lot can happen in a week, especially with The Streak." Iris was determined to find out who he was, who they all were.

"Hah," Barry let out.

"I've been trying to get answers from him. Where does he come from? How does he do what he does? Literally with his super-speed power. When he moves, Barry, you don't even see him. He comes and goes in the blink of an eye… in a flash." Iris threw out, now talking as fast as Barry could move.

"In a flash?" Barry questioned, tilting his head to the side. He thought about the name, and he had a feeling about it, a good feeling.

"Yeah. Today I was saved by the impossible. A mystery man."

 _The fastest man alive. Then a friend gave me an idea for a new name, and something tells me it's gonna catch on._

 **A/N –**

 **This chapter is probably the shortest so far. Mostly because there wasn't much I could think of for this chapter. Mainly light fluff and a filler if we are being honest.**

 **So, next chapter we will definitely be getting into the good stuff! We get to see some new exciting developments in terms of Sophia's power, the team working together as a group, and much more. So get excited, because even though the last chapter was sort of boring on the plot front, the next will bring it... a** **t least I hope.**

 **Again, thanks for the new follows, favourites and reviews. Means the world. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and a happy new year. Bring 2016 on!**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	7. Electric

CHAPTER SEVEN

 **Day of the Particle Accelerator Explosion**

Upbeat music blasted from the stereo of Farooq's car, his two friends, Jake and Darya lounging on the hood as they watched him climb up an electrical tower. Laughter left their lips when they weren't occupied with consuming alcohol. They were having a fun time, enjoying themselves before the big reveal, eagerly waiting for the particle accelerator to be turned on. At first, they found it funny that Farooq was climbing the pole, but when they noticed he was going too high up, and that's when the worry started to set in.

"Farooq, it's not safe," Darya, yelled out as he went higher and higher. "Come down! Farooq, I'm serious." She honestly loved his carefree attitude and his daredevil like personality, but sometimes he needed to be reminded that not all his ideas were safe. As he mounted the structure, moving higher and higher she could feel the anxiety pounding in her chest, but tried to keep it at bay and quirked him a smile when he looked down at her and winked.

"It's gonna rain," Jake piped in, looking at the storm clouds brewing ahead.

"Y'all are tripping. This is the best seat in the house," Farooq shouted down to them, as he looked at the particle accelerator, waiting for it to turn on. He had a view of the whole city, glowing lights, tall buildings and all. "Whoo!"

"You know, when I said we should watch the particle accelerator turn on, I just meant we should get naked and howl at the moon," Darya mused, with a smirk on her face as she looked over at her friends. Her worry had dissipated quickly, and she was feeling more relaxed now that she saw Farooq hadn't moved higher up.

"It's already on," Jake commented.

"Consider me unimpressed."

It was at this moment that the accelerator had exploded, the illuminating orange light pulsating throughout the city and heading towards Farooq who was too drunk to realise this was not a good thing.

"Whoo! Yeah, Baby. Oh, this is awesome!" Farooq exclaimed, unable to take his eyes of the phenomenon exploding throughout the city.

"Are you seeing this?" Jake asked with wide eyes, turning to Darya who also had the same bewildered expression as she watched the light move towards them.

"Oh man, I think I am tripping."

"Oh, man," Farooq breathed out, frantically trying to climb back down before he got hit by the blast.

"Get in the car! Get in the car!" His friends yelled out from below, fearing the explosion that was heading toward them.

"Farooq! Farooq!" they screamed, calling out for the friend, but alas, it was too late.

And not just for Farooq, but for all of them.

* * *

 **Present Day**

It was bright sunny morning in Central City and Sophia was thankful for that. The last week had been gloomy and wet, and troublesome at the very least, and she needed some positivity in her life. And that's where Barry Allen came in.

Her car had broken down as she was returning home from work. It was 1am and she had just finished her shift, running out of the hospital and to her car with a poorly made umbrella, to protect herself from getting wet in the thunderstorm. She had been driving for five minutes when she felt her car start to slow down, the back wheel was torn into, and loosing pressure fast. She thought it was her only problem- that was until her engine started smoking. So there she stood in the rain, drenched from head to toe with her car broken down on the side of the road. Of course Barry came to her rescue, dropping her home within seconds as he promised he'd get her car fixed, and not to worry. He had helped her inside her apartment, zooming in and out of her bedroom, passing her a towel to dry herself off with, and he had turned on the shower, the hot steam filling up her bathroom as he ushered her to go and get dry. He had even made her a nice warm cup of hot chocolate, leaving it on her bedside table before going home. She had walked out of her room, surprised to see that there with a note from him. She smiled at the memory, and she knew that it was one she would cherish for a long time.

So here they were the following week, car-pooling together… in a sense, well not really since Barry didn't own a car, and he was just running them back and forth to Star Labs whenever need be. They had decided to grab a morning coffee at Jitters before heading into their second job for the day.

They had just walked out of Jitters, when they were pulled onto the side of the street, Sophia's coffee thrown to the ground and a gun pressed to her neck. Surprisingly her first reaction was to groan at the destroyed coffee sitting at her feet, rather than freak out about the gun pointed to her neck. Being thrown in dangerous situations seemed to be the norm these days, and she was just annoyed that her coffee had to pay the price… well her wallet more like it.

"Don't try nothing, or your girlfriend dies," The mugger stated with a smug face as he inclined his head in Barry's direction, motioning to his pocket. If she was being honest, Sophia felt a pang in her heart when the mugger called her his girlfriend, knowing that it wasn't true in any way, shape or form. "Wallet, Now."

"Oh _this_ is awesome," Barry breathed out. He couldn't believe it. Of all people this guy had decided to mug, it was him. A rush of excitement and adrenaline was pumped through his veins and he could feel the bounce in his step.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sophia and the mugger said in unison. She was half terrified at the gun pointed at her, and the other half was just annoyed at both the mugger and Barry. _Come on Allen, just do your thing. Zoom in, tie this guy up, and go buy me another coffee._

"Hold on, Okay? I'm just gonna set this down," Barry said, placing his coffee on the ground before he stood back up, laughing. Sophia frowned at this. Yes it was hilarious, but there was a gun pointed at her. _You really are slow for someone so fast_ she groaned internally.

"I mean, this is crazy," Barry laughed, "There are literally hundreds of thousands of people in Central City, and out of _everyone_ you could have picked to rob, you pick me."

"What, are you sick? Do you want your girlfriend to die?" The guy asked, and looked at Sophia, whispering to her "Are you sure your boyfriend actually likes you?" _I honestly have no idea_ she thought _._ The mugger shook his head, now pointing the gun at Barry, but his arm still firmly around Sophia's neck, keeping her from moving. "Money, Now." He demanded.

"I- Just, you're really gonna be kicking yourself man. I mean if there was an Olympics for bad luck, you didn't just medal pal. You Michael Phelps-ed."

"I think he gets the point Barry," Sophia deadpanned.

"I'll count to three. Then I'm gonna shoot you," The mugger threatened, and Sophia cringed at the smell of his breath, and her heartbeat quickened at the notion of either herself or Barry getting shot.

"One."

"Yeah."

"Barry," Sophia groaned.

"In a second honey." Her heart skipped a beat. _Honey? HONEY? What is this guy doing to me?_

"Two." And with a whoosh, in that second, he had rushed over and moved Sophia to the other side of the street. He then turned around, and stripped the mugger of his clothes, leaving him in his underwear and hand cuffed, at least not before bringing over a police officer to arrest him.

"Really?!" Sophia nearly yelled at Barry as he came back with the biggest smile on his face.

"Come on, you have to admit that was hilarious." Barry said with a goofy grin, his hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

"He had a gun. Pointed. At. My. Head." She emphasised each word, shaking her head as he did so.

"Okay, so for future reference, get rid of the gun before I start going off on a rant… also I'm sorry," Barry apologised, "but _come on_ , that was great." He finished off, a smirk still on his face. Sophia rolled her eyes trying to maintain the angry façade, but was unable to contain the smile that was trying to break through at his goofy behaviour. _Oh god, I've fallen for a goof ball_.

"Yeah it kinda was," she admitted, "but now you also owe me another coffee Mr. Allen."

"Oh man." He swore that the whole time he'd known Sophia he's always managed to destroy her cup of coffee whenever they go out.

"Yeah, anyway we're late, and Wells isn't gonna be happy," Sophia told him, and without wasting anytime he picked her up in his arms, and ran the two of them over to Star Labs. Sophia had her face pressed into Barry's shoulder, not wanting to look up while they moved in super speed, for fear of getting a bug stuck on her face, or worse her mouth. After hearing about Cisco and Caitlin discuss this particular topic a few weeks back, she was now very cautious when travelling via the super-speed train ride that was The Flash.

When they arrived at Star Labs, Barry set Sophia down and she smiled, straightening out her shirt as they moved over to the team, conversing in the corner of the room.

"Late is kind of his signature move."

"Sorry, guys, I got a little held up." Sophia nearly laughed, but kept quiet as she saw the look on Dr. Wells face. He did not seem to be happy. "You had to be there."

"I'm gonna need a moment or two alone with Barry," Dr. Wells announced, and everyone slowly backed away.

"Ooh, you're in trouble."

"Told you so," Sophia mumbled under her breath, as she followed Caitlin over to her desk.

"Spoken to Anna recently?" Caitlin asked, slowly. Since Sophia had come back from metropolis, she hadn't mentioned much of Anna, not really going into details of what happened that night. Caitlin was curious to say the least, but mainly because she wondered if Ronnie was still alive, and if he was, what could she do to help him?

"Uh- Yeah. Last night actually. She's doing well."

"Is she a meta-human?" Caitlin whispered to Sophia. She was scared that if the others found out that Ronnie was the burning man that he would end up with a similar fate to those they had encountered and taken down as team flash. She wondered if that's why Sophia kept any knowledge about Anna post-explosion basically hidden.

"Uh- I-We're not sure, she's working on figuring that out, but I don't think so. I think something else happened that night, equally crazy but not to her," Sophia elaborated, speaking softly to Caitlin, not wanting anyone to listen in.

"If she was, what would you do?"

"I guess, I'd support her in any way possible. I mean, not all meta-humans are bad, Barry's a perfect example of that. _Plus_ , most of the meta-humans we've come across have had previous criminal records, and have generally just been psychopaths, so… you can't really paint everyone with the same brush." Even though Sophia said this, and she believed it to be true, there was a part of her that was still scared for Anna. She saw firsthand what this change could do to some people, and she was worried that it was still a possibility, and so even though she brought across an all accepting façade, Sophia was sure that if she was a Meta there would be more problems to follow.

"Well enough of that talk, want to help me analyse some blood?" Caitlin changed subjects fast, and this made Sophia slightly suspicious, but she didn't question it.

"Sure. Let's ditch Cisco," Sophia winked, and they left, leaving Cisco at his desk, with his earphones perched on his head, to continue whatever he was doing. She peered over his shoulder just as she was leaving, and was 99% sure he was playing Galaga, but thought no one would notice… which she did.

* * *

It was probably an hour later that Barry showed up needing help in identifying a dead body from a crime scene. Sophia had seen some pretty gruesome things, being a nurse and all, but this face was beyond recognisable.

"His face is melted off," Caitlin said, squinting as she looked at the photo, as if it would help put his face into focus.

"How's that picture gonna help ID him?" Barry asked. The face wasn't recognisable to be even that of a human at this point. It had been mutilated beyond recognition.

"I got mad skills," Cisco stated, and Sophia let out a snort, covering her mouth with her hand and trying to pass it off as a cough when she attracted Barry's stare.

"Please don't ever say that again."

"Hey, are you okay?" Barry asked Caitlin who still looked a bit off, something Sophia had noticed since this morning and when she was asking questions about meta-humans.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Caitlin responded, and when neither of them acknowledged this she said it again. "I'm fine."

"Alright." Barry nodded.

"Facial recognition software, it's designed for archaeologists, and it should help us ID your crispy corpse."

"Nice alliteration there Cisco," Sophia mumbled out as she leaned her elbows on the desk, her hands supporting her head as she watched Cisco type away on his computer.

"Thanks," He said appreciatively, quirking a smile.

"The question is how did he get _fried_ in the first place?" Caitlin said, and Sophia hummed in agreement.

"Is there a meta-human out there that can control electricity? It'd take a serious electrostatic discharge to cause that level of tissue damage."

"Guys," Cisco called, breaking them out of their discussion about the new meta-human. "According to the software, there's an 82% chance your victim looked like this," Cisco announced, clicking on the photo to enlarge it. Barry sighed at the '82%' giving Cisco a look, only to be sassed back in response. "Hey, it was zero when you walked in here pal."

"Can you cross reference that with the DMV database? Maybe get us a name?" Barry asked, resting his hands on the table as he leaned forward to look at the computer.

"Absolutely. This software can do just about anything now that Felicity reprogrammed it." With a few clicks, here and there, Cisco got a hit. "Casey Donahue. No wife, no kids. Used to work at the Petersburg electrical station."

"That can't be a coincidence." Barry stated, and they agreed.

"That's weird." Cisco mused, "Someone just used his ID to enter the substation."

"The Petersburg grid is experiencing a power drain right now," Caitlin spoke up as she monitored the readings on her screen.

"Barry," Sophia called out to him as he moved to suit up, placing her hand on his arm, causing him to turn around. "Be careful." His eyes met her worried gaze, and he nodded giving her a reassuring smile before running off to catch the new meta.

She took a deep breath, and they all looked at each other, each member worried for his safety. If the meta could easily melt off Casey Donahue's face, they wondered what the hell he could do to Barry. They sat down, turned the volume on loud and tried their best to be patient, listening into the conversation.

The heard the crackling of electricity, and zapping noises, and then there was a raspy voice declaring "I need to feed." Which they assumed was the meta. More zapping noises ensued, and they heard Barry scream, and the monitors went crazy. Barry's vitals were overloading in every sense of the word and they started to fear the worst. Sophia rushed forward, pressing the button down on the mic.

"Barry! What's happening?" Sophia's panicked voice rang out through the com system, only to receive Barry's screams in response, setting her anxiety through the roof.

"Get out of there!" Cisco yelled. "Run Barry."

"I-I can't. My speed, i-it's gone."

* * *

Barry was now back at Star Labs, out of the red suit that Sophia loved so much, and was dressed in a navy blue Star Labs jumper, and matching sweat pants.

"He runs slow even for a normal person," Cisco said bewildered, as he watched Barry run on the treadmill, performing horribly compared to his usual days. Sophia smacked Cisco's arm, not caring when he yelped in pain. He deserved it. _God, I can't imagine what is going on in his head right now._

"Not helpful Cisco," Sophia berated. Ever since Barry had arrived back they could all tell that he was devastated.

"You can't just lose your powers okay. Your DNA was transformed by the particle accelerator blast, there's no way to un-transform DNA." Caitlin explained, slightly aggressively Sophia might add. They were all frustrated at the situation, Barry the most.

"Yeah, tell that to the uber driver who charged me 65 bucks to take me here. I had to tell her I was coming from a cosplay party." Sophia cringed at this.

"So we were wrong."

"This meta-human doesn't electrocute people, he siphons electricity, thereby removing your power," Dr. Wells elaborated as he rolled into the room.

"All right, do we think this is temporary or?" Barry asked, trying to keep up the positive façade.

"We have to run some more tests," Caitlin said, immediately feeling guilty at the look on Barry's face. She hoped that it was temporary and there was a way to get his speed back.

"Yeah." He sounded deflated. "I've got to warn Joe."

"Barry, we will find a way to restore your speed," Dr. Wells promised and Barry didn't say anything, only sighed before leaving the room.

* * *

Sophia was carrying two cups of hot chocolate, with pillow white marshmallows floating on top, threatening to overflow the balance of the chocolatey goodness. She had passed by the cortex, only to see Barry sulking as he sat in the room, staring at his red suit on display. So it was decided that she would run a search mission through the kitchen cupboards at Star Labs to procure some hot chocolate, which was easy enough to find when she looked through Caitlin's drawer. The marshmallows were a bit harder to locate, but once she went through Cisco's stash of sugary goods, she managed to get some, and the mini kind as well, her favourite.

So there she was, walking towards Barry, who was still mind you sitting in the same position as he was twenty minutes earlier. _At least it was easy to find him_ she thought. She took a seat next to him, holding his cup right in front of his face, distracting him from his thoughts.

"One hot chocolate, topped with what seems to be too many mini marshmallows for a Mr. Allen," Sophia announced, with a smile on her face, trying to cheer him up, but she could see that his expression hadn't changed much.

"Thanks."

 _Oh well, at least it's something_. It was silent for the next ten minutes, as they slowly sipped their warm drinks, relishing in the comfort it brought. Sophia was just finishing off her drink off, chugging the last bit when Barry spoke.

"You think I'll ever wear it again?" He asked, in a soft voice. She put her empty cup down next to her, and turned to him.

"Yes." She said confidently, her gaze moving from Barry to the suit. But the thing was… it wasn't just a _suit,_ at least not anymore, it was a symbol, a symbol of hope, and freedom, and safety. But to her it was more than that, it was a symbol of home and comfort.

"How can you be so sure?" He questioned, looking at her. Despite his depressing mood, a small smile made its way on his face. She had a froth moustache from the hot chocolate.

"You've got a bit of," Barry said, motioning to her lip, his gaze focused on her mouth. Embarrassed, she brought her hand up to her mouth immediately, wiping it away.

"Sorry. I-I just know, you'll wear it again."

"I didn't have my speed for very long, but now that it's gone, it feels like a part of me is gone too," Barry admitted.

"With or without your speed, you're still Barry."

"But I'm not, I'm not the best version of me."

"I didn't know you before you become The flash, but I know that your heart… your courage… that's what makes you so special Barry. That's what makes you a hero…Not the speed." For a moment it was silent, and her kind words comforted him as best as they could, but there was still a heavy doubt sitting in hit gut.

" _I know_ , but I love being The Flash. I love everything about it, the feeling of running hundreds of miles per hour, wind and power just rushing past my face… being able to help people… I'm not sure I can live without it Sophia," Barry confessed, looking down at his hands that were resting in his lap.

"We'll find a way to get it back. I promise you." And with that, she leaned her head on his shoulder, taking a hold of his hand, and trying to comfort him. His fingers intertwined with her own, and she gave them a light squeeze and she swore she felt a shock of electricity burning her hand as they touched. And of course to the rescue to ruin the lovely moment was Cisco Ramon, and trailing behind, the gorgeous Caitlin Snow.

"Farooq Gibran," He yelled running into the cortex, with his tablet in hand.

"Who?" Barry asked, turning around, as the two split apart.

"The powers vampire who jacked your speed." Sophia was sure Cisco had no filter, "I hacked into the surveillance footage from the Petersburg substation. Once I got his face, it was easy to find a match. He climbed an electrical tower the night of the accelerator explosion."

"No surprise where his powers came from," Caitlin commented. Suddenly, there were multiple alarms going off, and a big WARNING sign popping up on screen. Someone had entered Star Labs, and that someone was Farooq Gibran.

" _Oh_ , you've got to be kidding me." Cisco pressed a few buttons, sending the place into a total lock down, closing the front doors to any access of the cortex, to lock Farooq out, but that probably wouldn't hold him for long.

"This is not happening," Caitlin shrieked, the panic was starting to set in.

"Dr. Harrison Wells, I need to see you!" Farooq yelled, as he walked through the vast halls, following the electricity. "Come on, I know you're inside," he taunted, electricity crackling from his fingertips, and his eyes glowing an illuminating blue as he hunted for Wells.

"Open the door. I just want to talk, Dr. Wells." Farooq said, as he pounded his fists on the door, sparking electricity with each punch.

Meanwhile on the inside of that door, everyone else was freaking out. Barry had no powers, and the super freak was at their door, and they had just received a call that Joe and Iris were taken hostage at the CCPD. This day was turning out worse than expected. Not to mention that they had no idea where Dr. Wells was, only that he was probably helpless, roaming around on his wheelchair in Star Labs with a meta-human on the loose that was after his head.

"I need my powers back now."

"I have a theory, it's untested."

"I'm willing to roll the dice." Sophia just hoped that this would turn out to be safe.

"Okay, you've lost your speed, yes, but nothing has changed inside you on a subatomic level. In other words, your cells are still primed," Caitlin explained.

"They just need a jump start," Cisco piped in, nodding his head as he started to do the math in his head.

"Okay, how do we do that? How do we jumpstart me?" Barry asked, starting to seem quite jumpy and anxious.

"We need to replicate the initial jolt to your system, but that would mean a peak current of at least 20,000 kilo-amps."

"Are you insane? That would kill him!" Sophia nearly lost it. "That's more electricity than they give to people in an electric chair."

"Soph, with Farooq in the building, we're all looking at a death sentence here," Barry tried to reason, and she just shook her head. "Fine," She sighed, this was the only way, "But the spare generator is offline." She pointed to the screen, "So how is this going to work?"

"If we reboot it, we could get a charge that big. We need something that can transmit the load from the generator to Barry's body without shorting it out." Cisco rubbed his chin, trying to think it over.

"The treadmill!" Caitlin supplied.

"My baby could take the charge," Cisco nodded in agreement.

"What if Barry can't?" Caitlin asked, just as worried as Sophia.

"Well that's up to Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells appeared, in the room, everyone sighing in relief as the missing doctor arrived. Barry moved past Wells, and towards the door that stood between them and Farooq.

"Where are you going?" Sophia called out for him, moving to catch up.

"I'm going to talk to him."

"No." When Barry gave her a look, she crossed her arms, firmly standing her ground, " _No_. He could kill you."

"Okay, you didn't see him at the substation. He _needed_ to feed. I got super sped out of the particle accelerator blast, but his best friends died. He woke up with a disease." Barry tried to explain, and show them reason. He was an innocent guy who had something bad happen to him. He just needed help.

"He's a murderer, and you are powerless to defend yourself against him." Caitlin threw in.

"Hey may just need help like I did, I don't need my powers to offer him that. I have to try." Barry said with a tone of finality. And even though Sophia didn't want him to go into the line of fire, she understood where he was coming from, after he spoke.

"Be careful Barry," Sophia said and he nodded, motioning for them to move somewhere safe.

Barry pressed the button, opening the door up, as everyone stood back and to the side. Meanwhile, Barry walked out into the hall slowly, finding it hard to see with the power out. He kept walking, on high alert, as he saw the shadow of someone, assuming it was Farooq.

Farooq turned around, bright electricity sparking from his hands as he growled at Barry.

"Hey, whoa _whoa_ , easy," Barry said, holding his hands out in front of him as a sign of peace. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You can't hurt me," Farooq spat out. "Where is Harrison Wells?" Farooq demanded.

"Look, I know what happened to you. The night of the accelerator explosion it changed you. It changed me too."

"You were the one in the red suit," Farooq said, with a confused expression, coming to the conclusion that Barry was The Flash. "I fed from you, I have to keep feeding," Farooq said, moving forward towards Barry.

"All right, I know this has to be terrifying, that's why I want to help you okay? The night of the explosion, when the light hit me, it stopped my heart. Jake and Darya they were your friends."

"I woke up, and they were beside me, dead." Farooq said, looking down with a solemn expression. He had killed his friends, and he couldn't bear the guilt. "They tried to give me CPR, they were touching me, and I electrocuted them."

"This is not your fault."

"I know. Wells did this to me," Farooq growled, adamant on getting revenge.

"Farooq, you need to listen to me." And without a second moment's notice, Farooq blasted Barry with a bolt of electricity, sending his body flying through the air, and back into the room he entered from. Cisco ran over immediately, deadlocking the door, whilst Caitlin ran over to Barry, helping him up as he groaned in pain.

"Not sure how long that will hold."

"Done being noble, Mr. Allen?"

"Caitlin get him to the treadmill." Dr. Wells ordered, and she nodded, helping Barry over there, with her arm around his shoulder. "Cisco and Sophia, bring the generator online."

"Make sure Barry gets the charge." And with that Dr. Wells moved to go his own way when Barry called back.

"What? You're not coming with me?"

"I am not leaving you. Listen to me. Of everything I've done in my life, of everything I have invented, my most important creation is The Flash. Barry Allen must have a future." Wells explained, "Now go." He ordered, and they left.

At this point, Sophia and Cisco were making their rounds to get the power back up. When they ran into a problem. A big problem. Farooq had somehow managed to get out, and was now heading their way. Panic welled in her chest as her mind raced, trying to come up with a way to escape this situation.

"Cisco, run, get the power up. I-I'll distract him." She rushed out, not sure of how everything was going to play out. She knew that it was stupid, but it was the only thing she could think of in that moment. It was either that, or both of them get fried, and their whole plan fail.

"What?! No, are you crazy?" Cisco called out, his feet skidding in the hallway as he realised Sophia wasn't right behind him. She had stopped a while back and was listening out for Farooq.

"Yes, I am, now go, otherwise we're all toast! Go!" She yelled out for him, and reluctantly he ran trying to get the power up before something bad happened. As Farooq caught up, Sophia made sure she had caught his eye before she ran in the opposite direction of Cisco, down another set of hallways that lead to their make-shift prison. Evidently she wasn't fast enough, as she was slowly backed against a wall with Farooq stalking forward threateningly. _God I hope you get the power up Cisco._

"P-please, I don't want to hurt you, I-I can help you, I-I'm a nurse," Sophia pleaded breathless after running, her hands out in front of her as a sign of surrender. Farooq tilted his head to the side as though he was contemplating the idea. He looked like he was in pain, his brow furrowed, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. His hand twitched in her direction and she flinched on instinct. It was as though he was testing her. This reaction seemed to be the wrong answer, and he let out a throaty laugh that sounded fake.

"I don't care," He choked out as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"P-Please, Farooq. I can help, W-We can help, you don't need to do this," Sophia breathed out. Her words were her last hope, and they didn't seem to be helping her very much.

"I need to feed." Was all he said, and before she could try and find a way out, the electricity flowed from his hands, and into her body, zapping her shoulder. She let out an unearthly scream as the electricity sent shock waves of excruciating pain surging through her body. She could feel the burn on her shoulder, as her skin sizzled.

Much to her surprise, her body's first reaction was to send out a pulsating wave of energy, blasting Farooq, sending him hurtling back against the floor. She looked down at her glowing hands with wide eyes, unsure of what was happening. _What the hell was that?_ Was her last thought as she felt all the energy drain from her body, at this point she could barely breathe through the pain. He got up, ready to attack her again, when she slumped down against the wall, her eyes fluttering shut as darkness encompassed her vision.

Farooq glowered and moved on forward with heavy footsteps echoing throughout the halls of Star Labs, ready to find Harrison Wells.

Ready to end it all.

* * *

After Barry's encounter with Tony, he ran back, trying to meet up with Cisco and the others. As he was running back, trying to get away from Farooq before he got fried, he saw Sophia collapsed on the floor unconscious.

"Sophia!" Barry yelled, expecting her to wake up and respond. He moved over to her as fast as he could, skidding as he bent down to her level. _No, not you, oh god not you._

"Oh my god, please be alright," He whispered, as he put his hand to her pale neck, trying to find for a pulse. For a moment there was nothing, and his breathing became heavier as the panic started to set in. Then he felt the smallest blip and relief flooded through him. He looked her over, inspecting to see if she had been hurt anywhere else when he noticed blood soaking her right shoulder. He carefully shifted the fabric of her shirt, the vicious burn marks evident immediately. Her shirt was basically charred, and the skin a tender pink, as blood trickled down the skin.

"You're gonna be okay, I promise." He kissed her forehead. He could hear the crackling of electricity nearby, and was quick to place one arm underneath her back, and the other under her legs, lifting her up as he moved as fast as he could with her in his arms. By the time he arrived, Caitlin and Cisco were the only ones there, waiting patiently.

"Oh my god, is she alright?" Caitlin said, rushing over, as Barry set Sophia down on the floor gently.

"Her pulse is slow, but she's breathing," Barry said, as he tried to catch his breath, his hands on his knees. When he stood up, he noticed dark patch on his jeans and looked at his hands. He had blood stained on them. Tony's blood... Sophia's blood... he didn't know anymore.

"You're winded. That's not good." Caitlin commented, as she checked Sophia out. There was a nasty flesh wound on her right shoulder, must have been where she got hit with electricity. She got to work, quickly patching her up, and then moving to take a sample of Barry's blood to see what went wrong with the jump start, and if the process had worked at all to give him his speed back, because right now, they needed it more than ever.

"I can't believe he's dead," Barry breathed out as he paced the room back and forth.

"Dr. Wells?" Caitlin turned her head so fast she was sure it was going to fall off.

"No, no. Tony Woodward," Barry said much to their surprise and Caitlin let out a sigh of relief that Dr. Wells was alright. "He escaped from the pipeline, he must have got out when the blackout hit."

"Not possible. The pipeline was designed to withstand a power outage," Cisco concluded. "Someone had to have let him go." That left an unsavoury feeling in all of their stomachs as they thought about this notion.

"I did, I released him," Dr. Wells announced as he rolled back into the safety of the room, his statement causing the team to look at him with calculating eyes.

"Why?" Barry asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked on at someone he admired, not believing that he could do something so calculated, so cruel, so inhumane.

"To divert our intruder's attention while we worked to restore your speed." Dr. Wells explained with a heavy heart.

"You used him as a distraction." Barry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"An unnecessary one, as it turns out. It seems the plan has failed." Dr. Wells replied, as he looked over to see Sophia on the floor, still in unconscious.

"I have his blood on me," Barry's distraught voice went on, "I have Sophia's blood on me," he yelled in anger as he looked down at his hands that were stained with blood. He felt sick to his stomach with guilt, and as he looked over at the unconscious woman lying on the floor, he could feel his anxiety starting to set in. "How could you do that?" He continued, throwing harsh words at Wells in an effort to throw his blame onto someone.

"You're showing a lot of sentiment for a man who tormented you as a child." Wells countered, his voice rising in volume.

"Tony might have been a bully then, and now, but he didn't deserve to die," Barry spat. Yes he disliked the man more than anyone else in the world, but he did have morals, and sacrificing Tony as a pawn wasn't the ethical thing to do.

"Does Caitlin, Cisco or Sophia, or me or you?" I had a choice to make, him or us," Wells shouted, "I chose us without a second thought."

"All your talk about miracle cures and scientific breakthroughs, but you don't care about people at all." Barry spat out, furious at Wells decision to basically kill Tony in order to save them.

'Well, maybe you care too much Barry." Wells threw back, taking a deep breath and trying to keep his cool. "I know being a hero is important to you, and I respect your ideals. I just don't have the luxury of sharing them."

"Oh, I forgot," Barry scoffed, "your games chess. We're all just pawns to you right? So what's your move, doctor? Which one of us gets sacrificed next? Because Sophia's already been thrown in the deep end because of your actions."

Wells didn't have time to answer, as Farooq was gaining on their location, trailing a spark as he did so.

"We have to get out of the facility."

"We just left him on level D. We'll never make it to the main entrance from here."

"What about the garage, the mobile lab van?" Cisco asked.

"It's my move, Mr. Allen, and I say we make a run for it." Wells said, and Barry picked Sophia up again ready to make their escape to the garage when Caitlin yelled.

" _Oh my god_!" Caitlin exclaimed, "Barry, look. Your cells, they're rapidly regenerating!"

"I still don't have my speed," he said, his face scrunching up in frustration as he looked down at Sophia who was resting in his arms.

"It must be mental, not physical."

" _Oh_ , you have the yips," Cisco said.

"The what's?" Barry asked, sounding slightly offended.

"You know. When a second baseman all of a sudden can't throw to first or a golfer tries to putt and they get all embarrassed and upset, and then that makes the yips worse, and it's a hot mess, and then they feel like even more of a failure."

"That's not helping." Barry said with a deadpan expression. He didn't know what to do. He was trying everything he could think of, but he still felt helpless.

"Look, you asked if I believed you were struck by lightning for a reason, if you were chosen. I believe, you should too."

"Let's move." And with that they made for the garage, praying nothing would go wrong.

* * *

Sophia slowly drifted away from the land of dreams, and into reality. She kept her eyes closed shut, not wanting to open them, as she tried to maintain her breathing. She could feel a weight on her right shoulder, and with every breath, it burned, so much so that she was sure if she moved even slightly it would hurt even more.

She heard shouting. A familiar voice, one she thought to be Dr. Wells, the other a hostile tone that she could only assume to be Farooq. She lay there, for a moment longer, this time slowly opening her eyes, her vision blurry at first before it cleared up. She could see part of Caitlin's hair, in front of her, and she assumed she was laying on her lap, from the uncomfortable position her back was in. Sophia opened her mouth, greedily gulping in the air, her lungs feeling like they were on fire like they were being deprived of oxygen, which wasn't true, it was just her asthma playing up. She started to hyperventilate, and then passed out due to the lack of oxygen, something Cisco would have teased her about later, but since she saved his life and all, he let it go.

It was now 15 hours post-blackout, and Sophia was just coming to, as she laid down in the med bay. Her hand twitched and she felt soft sheets underneath her fingertips. She could hear the familiar sounds of the monitor beeping indicating that her heart was beating at a normal rate. She could feel the uncomfortable blood pressure cuff strapped to her arm that wasn't bandaged up, and that's when her hearing kicked in completely, and she could hear her friends fussing about.

"Let's play some arctic monkeys, it's her favourite, maybe that'll wake her up," Cisco suggested.

"Really Cisco…" Barry said, as he lounged in a chair next to Sophia's bed, reminding him of the time she got hit by Nimbus and was hospitalised. The memory had then added to the guilt that was currently resting upon his shoulders. She had always been there to protect them, always been there to sacrifice herself so someone else wouldn't get hurt, and though she had come out of both alive, he knew that if it kept moving in this direction, one day, she might not be so lucky, and that was a scenario he wasn't willing to give life to.

"What? Gaga. That's what woke you up after 9 months," Cisco responded, sticking his tongue out as he did so.

"She'll be up soon," Caitlin reassured everyone, trying to get them to shut up as she adjusted Sophia's IV, trying to focus on doing it right. "You just need to be patient."

"Yeah guys, I'll be up soon." Sophia's voice croaked out, her eyes still shut as she lay in the bed, causing both Cisco and Barry to jump in surprise.

"Oh my god," Cisco shrieked, falling of his chair.

"You're awake." Barry breathed out in relief, recovering smoother than Cisco.

"It seems so," Sophia said, slowly opening her eyes so they could adjust to the bright lighting in the lab. Cisco seemed to notice this, and dimmed the lights around her bed, making it easier for her. She sent a silent smile of thanks his way, and he responded with a grin of his own, happy his friend was alright.

"Mind helping me sit up?" Sophia asked, and a second later, Barry was lifting her up, and moving her legs to the edge of the bed, letting them fall off. She rotated her ankles, relishing in the movement, they had become stiff after being in the same position for a long time.

"Thanks." She said, giving him a small smile. Barry just kept staring at her, and it was at that point that Cisco declared that he forgot he had to get something for Dr. Wells, giving Caitlin a look, to get out of there. Caitlin then came up with the excuse of having to go feed Sophia's cat since she hadn't been home in the last 24 hours. So now it was just her and Barry sitting alone after the two had said their goodbye's.

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked tentatively.

"Like I got electrocuted," Sophia laughed at herself, and winced in pain as she moved too much. "Too soon." She looked down at her shoulder to see that it was bandaged up quite well, and there were no specks of red to be seen on the thick white gauze, something she was thankful for.

"I'm sorry," Barry apologised, and Sophia's head shot right up, not expecting to hear those words.

"Why are you apologising?" _Here he goes again being a goof ball. Better not be blaming himself._

"It's my fault you got hurt," Barry whispered. _Oh my god_ she yelled internally.

"Yeah," and at this he looked down, "It's totally your fault, and I mean you're the one who electrocuted me and all," Sophia scoffed, "You're a doofus," she shoved his shoulder playfully, and he looked up with a solemn face.

"I-I thought you- you could have died," Barry choked out.

"You could have too, when you went out to talk to Farooq, you could have died then too."

"But that's different," he countered.

"Why?" She asked curtly, with a furrowed brow. How was it any different? She knew that she would feel the same anger, the same guilt, and the same sadness if something had happened to him. They were a team, and if it had happened to any single one of them, she knew that it wouldn't be different.

"Because- it just is."

"Not to me it isn't." Barry sighed in defeat, this girl was seriously stubborn, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Just give me a hug already Allen… just be careful of the shoulder," Sophia said, and Barry leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her waist carefully, as she put one arm around his neck, resting her head on his chest. They stood there, arms encircled for longer than she thought friends should have hugged, but she decided that she didn't care. She almost died, and if this was her reward, then she was going to take it.

Barry moved back, to break the hug away when he noticed how close they were to each other. His nose was brushing hers, their lips within inches of meeting, so close she could feel his breath fan across her skin, and her stomach erupted into butterflies at the anticipation. Slowly he inclined his head forward and Sophia's breath hitched, her heart starting to beat faster as their lips nearly brushed… and she was sure that they would have kissed… that was if the monitor hadn't gone off, indicating that her heart rate was increasing and, at a rapid rate. She moved back as though the beeping noise had burned her, and her pale cheeks finally donned some colour as she turned pink. Barry didn't say anything, he just bit his lip and tried not to smile, unable to take his eyes off hers, fascinated by the golden brown that looked back at him.

"C-Could I have some water, please?" Sophia asked, fake coughing, asking for Barry to go grab her a glass of water, as she prayed to god that he didn't realise what had just happened. She told him to take his time as she sat there melting like an ice-cream cone on a hot summer day, basically dying of embarrassment. _Id-i-o-t._ Her brain sang, and for once she damn well agreed.

"I-I wish I could just tell you- how I feel about you," Barry said to a frozen Sophia as he used his super-speed to admit something he had kept hidden for quite a while now. He wasn't sure if was because he didn't know how to tell her, or if it was because he was scared of rejection, or the fact that he had loved Iris, and he wasn't sure if he was completely over her, even though he knew that as each day went by, he was developing strong feelings for Sophia.

Barry came walking in the room a minute later, with her glass of water, and she accepted it gratefully. They spent the next hour or so debriefing on what had happened after she passed out, and all she could think about was the weird energy that was coming off her hands. She so desperately wanted to tell the others, especially Barry, but she wanted to be sure. So she decided to keep it a secret for now. It was getting quite late, and Barry dropped Sophia off at her house, helping her get changed into something that didn't smell burnt. He admitted that he blushed himself as she asked this favour, and using his super speed, he helped her get dressed and ready for bed.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Rest up." Barry said, as he walked towards her front door.

"Will do Captain." Sophia fake saluted with her good arm, "Goodnight Allen," She whispered.

"Goodnight Lang."

 **A/N:**

 **SO THEY NEARLY KISSED. SORRY TO BE A TEASE, BUT LIKE IT NEEDED TO WAIT A BIT, BUT, TALK ABOUT THEM CUTIES.**

 **I guess near-death experiences sort of do that to you.**

 **Also… her powers popped up again, and at the most convenient of times. But this time SHE REMEMBERS.**

 **SHE KNOWS.**

 **Next chapter will explore that, and hopefully answer all of your questions. This is also one of my favourite chapters so far. Just because there is a tonne of action, and excitement, and like a lot of angst and feels and just yes it was so fun to write.**

 **Thanks again for all the favourites/follows and reviews. So excited to see we are nearly at 50 follows for this story! Currently pre-prepared this chapter, because I'm away on holidays, and uploading this from my phone, so hang in there with me.**

 **I'll try my best to respond to reviews via PM etc. There seems to be a problem with the reviewing system on the website, but alas, i still get the notifications via my email. So please leave a review if you enjoyed this, tell me your thoughts and feelings on this chapter, hell on the whole story, its really important for me to understand if things need to be changed or improved upon.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	8. Fight or Flight

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was a quarter past midnight. The sky was covered in a blanket of darkness, the stars providing little light for her on the roof top she sat on. The nights chilly air swirled around her, making small goose-bumps pop up on her arm as the cold seeped through her thin t-shirt. Her eyes scanned the gloomy horizon, trailing over the shadows of the tall buildings and skyscrapers. The whole city was blacked out, no lights, no indication of anyone around.

It looked like a ghost town, and the chilling feeling she got certainly set the mood.

She pulled her tousled brown hair out of its bun, the locks carelessly falling against her neck as she took a deep breath. _Inhale…exhale…inhale…exhale…_

"You can do this," She said with determination, trying to motivate herself. "You have to do this."

And with that she stood up, perching herself on the ledge of the building, carefully placing her bare feet on the edge, standing up as carefully as she could, trying to keep balanced. _You just need a leap of faith._ And with that, she jumped, her body freefalling into the air, plummeting to the ground and landing with a sickening crunch.

Sophia woke up from her dream of sorts, gasping for air, her heart racing as her hands clutched the white sheets underneath her flustered form. Small beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, as she sat up. _Oh my god. Did-I just kill myself… in my dream?_

She wasn't sure of what to think of the dream, just that she was terrified by the thought of it. She turned the lamp on in her room, getting a feeling of her surroundings and taking solace in the safety that the light brought. She looked over at her clock to see that she had to be at Star Labs in three hours, and she really wanted to savour the few hours of precious sleep that were left.

It had been two weeks since her encounter with 'Blackout' as Cisco named him, and ever since the attack, she had been having reoccurring nightmares, or dreams about flying, and energy spurting from her hands.

It was absolutely insane. At least that's what she told herself. But then she kept replaying the memory over and over, and she knew that something was wrong, something inside of her had changed, and she was afraid of what it would mean. Was she now a meta-human? Did she have powers? Does this mean she had to become a super hero like Barry? She scoffed at the notion, looking down at her hands that were gripping her sheets. She wasn't a hero, she wasn't cut out to do that sort of thing… at least she thought so. When she thought about it, she realised that she had a bit of a hero complex forming ever since she joined this team. She was always there, wanting to help, sacrificing her own wellbeing to protect others, to help them get the job done. She wondered if this made her a hero. Did this behaviour warrant the justification of it all? She had no idea. All she knew was that the facts all pointed to one thing.

She was different.

The small scar on her shoulder was slowly fading each day. She knew this was not normal. The burn should have been larger, and there for much longer, but it was disappearing. She assumed that her body had undergone some sort of change with its ability to heal now that she was _different._ There were times that she thought she was just making it all up in her head, and she cursed, wishing this had never happened to her. Since that day, there was no visible sign of powers, or a change, but she could feel it. She could feel it with every breath she took, as the blood pumped in her veins, oh god she could feel the energy. But there was nothing. So she had to wait, painfully, and long until it happened again, because otherwise she wouldn't know.

She was scared. Afraid that these powers would change her, and not for the better. Afraid that her friends wouldn't forgive her for lying about it for two weeks. Afraid that her family wouldn't accept her. Afraid of what she was capable of. Most importantly, afraid that she would become a monster. She saw what it did to people. Farooq was a good person, and his powers changed him, and made him into a killer out of desperation to survive. Not knowing what hers would do to her made her more than just scared. Every time the thought creeped into her mind, she could feel the goose bumps rise on her skin, and a chill run down her spine.

Sophia took in a shaky breath and got up, walking over to her bathroom. She turned the handle of the faucet, sending cold water gushing out. Her palms cupped, she gathered the water, splashing it on her face, patting it down with a towel afterward, feeling more refreshed as her body cooled down. But taking a look in the mirror, she still saw the deep dark circles under her eyes, indicating the lack of sleep she had gotten in the last few days. _It's fine, don't stress, there is after all, this magical thing called concealer._

Her mind kept playing the dream over and over, sending her nerves into overdrive. She didn't want to go back to sleep, not alone at least. She whistled, and her cat Chewie came running. She jumped on her bed, landing next to her, and Sophia snuggled down next to her cat, feeling slightly better that she wasn't alone.

 _It was just a dream, go back to sleep, you're fine._ She told herself, and within minutes she was back into the land of dreams.

* * *

Sophia's alarm blared, and instinctively she threw her left arm to the side, feeling around for her phone to turn it off. She kept feeling around only to feel nothing… only air. She opened her eyes, to find herself inches from her roof.

"What the f-," She shrieked, looking around to see that she was floating in the air. She bit back a scream as she suddenly fell back down, landing on her bed, leaving her slightly winded. She was terrified right now. She had just been thinking about this problem this morning, and now it decided to reveal itself.

"What the hell is going on with me?" Sophia groaned, out loud. She laid there for a few more moments, her body sprawled out on her bed, as she tried to maintain her sanity. _Just go in, explain what happened, they won't be upset that you kept it secret for two weeks… will they?_

"Such. An. Idiot." She cursed herself as she got up, running to take a cold shower before getting changed. She put on a pair of black running tights, and an oversized grey tee, throwing a hoodie on top. After applying a little concealer to cover her dark circles, she looked a bit more presentable, but her tired eyes were still obvious. So she decided to throw on a pair of sunglasses that seemed to do the trick.

She walked into her kitchen, filling up Chewie's bowls with water and food, placing it in its rightful place, and petting her cat for a few minutes, apologising that she would be running off, yet again.

She picked up her keys off her bench, thankful that her car had finally been repaired before driving over to Star Labs, hoping that they'd all be there, so they could all be disappointed at the same time. The anxiety was starting to set in now. She had no idea that she had been affected by the particle accelerator in anyway until her fight with Farooq, and to what extent- well that was still debateable. Today was the first sign of anything abnormal since that day, and that's why she had kept it hidden, figuring that she might have just been hallucinating, after all she did hit her head pretty hard that day.

Her thoughts kept her busy the whole drive over, and the walk in, and while she basically ignored everyone and sat in a chair, in the corner of the cortex, her glasses still on her face. It was only when Barry called out her name, multiple times that she snapped out of it.

"Sophia?"

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night," She apologised, taking her sunglasses off, and rubbing her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"No…" she responded, closing her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. This gained everyone's attention, and they moved closer to her in the room.

"I have something to tell you guys," She said, and Caitlin gave her a small encouraging smile. "Please don't be upset that I didn't say anything sooner."

"Ever since I woke up after being attacked by Farooq, I've noticed something different about myself. I-I think I'm a meta-human." Sophia told them, and everyone was stunned into silence.

Cisco, Caitlin and Barry all remained standing there with wide eyes, unsure of what to say, so Dr. Wells took the lead.

"What exactly do you mean?" Dr. Wells asked, and this seemed to snap the others out of their reverie.

"I _mean_ , I woke up this morning floating onto of my bed," Sophia said, trying her very best not to snap. Her emotions were all over the place this morning, mainly because she was freaking out, because she had no idea what was going on with her right now, and she just wanted to get to the bottom of this, as fast and safely as possible.

"Holy shit," Cisco breathed out not believing what was happening.

"Tell me about it," Sophia said, burying her face in her hands. "A-and that's not all. I remember hitting Farooq with some sort of energy, sending him flying backwards and into the wall…" The thing was, she had remembered this happening, and where it had happened, and thought to check the security feed from the cameras to see if it was real or not. The problem was that Farooq had taken out the power, meaning those cameras weren't working at the time of the attack.

"I need to take a sample of your blood to see what metabolic changes could be happening. If you said this happened after Farooq electrocuted you, I think that he jump started whatever changes had begun to happen under the surface," Caitlin explained her theory, as she grabbed her equipment, taking Sophia's blood as Sophia put her arm out.

"How did it feel?" Barry finally spoke up, "This morning, you said you were floating." He elaborated and she stared at his intense gaze, taking a deep breath before replying.

"It felt… like I was weightless… as light as a feather," Sophia explained. "That _was_ until I fell on my bed."

"But the night of the accelerator explosion, you were taking care of me when I came through emergency, how could you have been affected?" Barry asked with a confused expression, and Dr. Wells raised his eyebrow at this question.

"I was in the break room that night, watching the accelerator turn on from a distance when it exploded. I-I saw the pulsating energy come towards the hospital," Sophia said, recounting her story, "it shattered the glass within seconds, and I was in an out of consciousness for a bit. Then I went down to the ER to help people out, and that's when Barry was brought in… and from there, well the rest was just- normal, I guess."

"So you never had an inclination or feeling that you had powers before two weeks ago." Wells asked.

"Basically." She gulped, unsure if they were angry with her for keeping it a secret for two weeks, but then again she hadn't had confirmation until that morning.

"Well, I'm sure that after running some tests, we'll be able to see what's going on in that body of yours," Dr. Wells said. He then instructed them all to get ready, and in the van. They were going to the training ground to see what Sophia could really do.

Sophia lingered behind them all as they moved out, and Barry slowed down, walking beside her.

"Hey, you'll be fine. I mean I was the original guinea pig. They know what they're doing," Barry chuckled.

"It's not about that…" She said, stopping in her tracks and turning to him, as the others walked ahead, leaving them alone in the hallway. "W-What if… What if I change? What if I become like those meta-humans we keep locked away. What if I can't control it, and become one of those monsters that we fight to put away?" Sophia asked, her eyes watering slightly as she looked down. That was what scared her the most. She saw what that power could do to people, and it made her scared that it might happen to her. Barry placed his hand on her arm, and one under her chin, lifting it up, and directing her gaze at him.

"No. I promise that won't happen to you. You're strong, and it's not the power that changes the person, it's their heart. Don't worry, I'm right here with you." Barry said, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine. Sophia cracked a smile as relief flooded her, easing her anxiety, and he returned with a grin of his own.

"Sometimes, I think you're too wise for your age Allen."

"I was born with it," He winked, and then they were off to the training ground, actually excited to see what was going to happen.

* * *

"Caitlin, you will be monitoring vitals, and any physiological changes," Dr. Wells explained, giving everyone their jobs. Cisco was in charge of documenting any new powers found, and the readings of her abilities and last but not least, Barry would be on Stand-by for emergency reasons.

"Let's do this." Sophia nodded, rolling her shoulders back, thinking of where she wanted to go, and pushing up on her tippy toes, ready to fly.

And nothing happened.

She opened her eyes, turning back to the others, scratching her forehead. Wasn't something supposed to have happened? She frowned unsure of how to go about any of this.

"I think we have a problem. I have no idea how to fly. I-I mean at least with Barry he just had to practice running, something we humans usually do, but what the hell am I meant to do with this?" Sophia blabbered on, causing Cisco to laugh, and Caitlin to respond by punching him in the shoulder.

"Sophia, relax." Barry said.

"It's kind of hard to Allen," she shook her head, and he knew that she was frustrated at his comment because of the way she used his last name.

"Alright, let's think, what were the common denominators surrounding your powers showing themselves." Dr. Wells supplied. Sophia took a breath, thinking back to whenever it happened.

"Fear, instinct, fight or flight." She listed off, Dr. Wells nodding in agreement.

"Your body's natural reaction. Adrenaline. Fight or flight. My theory is, that if we get enough adrenaline pumping through your veins, we'll achieve a result."

"I have an idea, but I have a feeling you're not gonna like it." Sophia smiled, hoping that it would work.

* * *

"So Cisco will remotely drive the van, at maybe a speed of 90, directly towards me, and the fear of being hit, should ignite a fight or flight response, in which this case, I either blast it, or jump into flight mode." Sophia explained, and Caitlin only shook her head in response. She looked at Barry with her lips pouted, hoping he would back her up.

"Even though it is quite dangerous, it's a smart idea. That way we will get at least something out of Sophia. Plus, if neither seem to happen, I can just run and catch her before the van hits." Barry said, trying to ease Caitlin's worry, which didn't seem to work at all.

"It's insane, and I do not condone it." Caitlin said, crossing her arms.

"But, it is pretty damn cool," Cisco said, and Sophia laughed in response.

"Let's do it." Sophia said, and fist-bumped Cisco as they got everything ready.

* * *

The van was now barrelling towards Sophia's direction at nearly full speed from the other side of the abandoned airstrip. Cisco seemed to be enjoying himself behind the wheel as he pressed his foot harder against the remote accelerator he had replicated, the van speeding up even more, until he reached the desired speed that was displayed on the tablet he was using.

"Come on," She growled at herself, it was getting closer and closer by the second, and nothing was happening. She could definitely feel the energy within her, but at every attempt to get it to appear, she failed.

"Barry, go get her," Caitlin said with a worried voice as the van got closer and closer. If Sophia didn't react in the next 30 seconds, she was bound to be hit, and this time she'd be dead for sure.

"No, wait!" Sophia yelled at them, and Barry stopped in his tracks, but still on high alert, watching her every move. He was confident that he was fast enough to get her out of the way in time, so he trusted her judgement.

"Just a bit more," She whispered, her eyes focusing on the van in front of her.

The van was probably a few hundred metres from her now, and Barry was about to run over and get her before she got hit, when it happened.

Her eyes burned an illuminating sapphire, and a bright cloud of blue energy spurted from her hands, creating a shield like bubble up to a few metres in front of and above of her, ensuring that she was completely encompassed by the energy. Seconds later, the van smashed into the energy force she had built up, like a fly hitting a windscreen. The van flipped, flying over the shield and landing behind her, exploding into flames, burning up as the team started at her with 'o' shaped mouths, witnessing her abilities.

Wells took of his glasses for a moment, admiring the site in front of him with awe. He couldn't help the grin that settled on his face as he watched what happened, even though he knew that Sophia could be a possible threat in the future to his plans. But nonetheless, he was truly impressed.

"Holy-," Cisco started

"Shit," and Barry finished, much to everyone's surprise.

Sophia's eyes faded back to their normal brown, and the shield she had built up had slowly shattered, falling down like droplets of rain. She took heavy breaths, turning around to view the damage with a bewildered look on her face. She honestly couldn't believe that _she_ just did _that_.

"Woah," she breathed out as she inspected the scene before her.

Barry ran over to the van, rotating his hands fast enough to extinguish the fire that was burning. Once that was settled, he moved back to the team on the other side of the air strip.

"Anyone up for round two?" Sophia suggested, and Caitlin who seemed quite hesitant before was now nodding, wanting to see more, also because she basically missed reading half of the info coming through because there was too much going on at once.

"Hells yeah!" Cisco exclaimed, and Sophia didn't even try to contain her grin as she looked over at Barry who was speechless, which she found funny considering he was the one who could run at superhuman speeds.

They continued with the training, throwing all sorts of weird things at Sophia to which she either blew them up with blasts of energy that spurted from her hands, or she created a shield around herself, and they just blew up when they made contact with it. She had to admit that the adrenaline rush was addicting, and though it was different, it was a good kind of different. She was giddy at the fact that she now had these abilities, and for a moment, this excitement overshadowed all of her worries, or fears, and for a moment she believed that she could be someone.

That she could make a difference.

That she could be a hero.

* * *

"Unfortunately we weren't able to assess your any other abilities that may be lingering in the shadows still, but it was a successful test with the impressive display of energy manipulation it seemed." Dr. Wells explained as they all lounged in the cortex.

Sophia was all trained out after spending most of the day running around and exerting her powers. Caitlin also managed to run a test on her glucose levels whilst she exerted her power, trying to see if she had the same issue as Barry, which she did, but on a much smaller level which was great news to hear.

"Sapphire," Cisco said.

"What?" Sophia turned around to look at him, mistaking him for calling her name.

"You're new code name. Got it on the first go, sweet," Cisco cheered before running back to his computer, to document it all.

"Why Sapphire?" She questioned, and Barry replied, his soft gaze lingering on her eyes as he spoke. "You're eyes, they turned an amazing blue when you used your powers. They looked like the gem, sapphire."

"Oh," she found that the longer her eyes stared at Barry, the larger the pool of warmth felt in her stomach. Butterflies again. She looked away, breaking the dazed look, mentally berating herself for it.

"Well, it has been a productive day, and I must say that it's time to end it. I'll see you all tomorrow." Dr. Wells said goodbye, and they all thought he was going home, when in reality the imposter was heading to his secret room within the building to do some more research on Sophia Lang now that she was a meta-human. In his future, he knew that Sophia Lang was closely intertwined with Barry Allen, but there was no record of her as a meta-human, or of a _superhero_ named 'Sapphire', and thus sparking his curiosity. The only Sapphire he had ever heard of was a villain, and he was sure that they weren't the same person.

This didn't change things, in fact it made him more determined to get back to the future.

* * *

Sophia stood up from her seat, stretching and yawning loudly.

They had spent the rest of the day at Star Labs analysing her blood, any new data and observations they had taken down from her training. Cisco also started to design Sophia a super suit, telling her that she had no choice in the matter, and she smiled, thanking him for it. She had to admit it did feel a bit awkward having to get basically every inch of her body measured for the suit, but she barely registered it as she was falling asleep from all the work they had done that day. All the training had done was take the energy out of her. She found that she felt drained, and Caitlin pointed out that Barry had a similar problem when he started out, and so she made sure to check her glucose levels, and see how things were going. Hers hadn't changed drastically, but she just needed to make sure that she stuck to an energetic diet, so obviously the first thing she wanted to get her hands on was some pizza.

"Even though I will probably fall asleep, anyone up for some pizza and movies?" Sophia asked with a sleepy smile and she received a chorus of yes's. She yawned again, apologising when she forgot to cover her mouth. Barry ran over, picking her up and zooming over to her house, dropping her in front of her door, which woke her up immediately, since he nearly gave her a heart attack. He did the same thing for Cisco and Caitlin, dropping them there one by one.

Sophia shook her head, trying to fight off a smile.

"Hey genius," she called as Barry came back with pizza after dropping Cisco off last. "You forgot my car at Star Labs, you gonna run that over too?" She asked sarcastically, raising a brow as Barry realised that she had drove there this morning.

"I'll just pick you up tomorrow as well." Sophia rolled her eyes as she grabbed the pizza, pulling them all inside her apartment. Cisco and Barry lingered behind the two girls as they walked in and Cisco nudged Barry imitating him as they walked in.

" _I'll just pick you up tomorrow as well_ ," Cisco said in a high pitched voice, to which Barry glowered at him. "Smooth move Allen." Cisco teased.

"Hey guys, you should thank Cisco, he offered to pay for the pizza. How nice." Barry called out, and Cisco's face of laughter dropped within seconds.

"That was low dude," Cisco replied.

"Aww, thanks Cisco, that's why you're my favourite," Sophia called out from the kitchen as she poured them all some drinks. This caused Cisco to smirk, nudging Barry's shoulder as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hear that Allen, _I'm_ her favourite." Caitlin just rolled her eyes at the boy's antics. Knowing her way around Sophia's apartment, she grabbed a few blankets, some pillows and set up the TV with old re-runs of looney toons that Sophia had on VCR since she was a kid. Which of course caused Cisco to complain about her having VCR copies, and not transferring them onto DVD, because of the quality improvement, and then he went on and on which cause Sophia to retract her previous statement of him being her favourite, causing Barry to laugh at Cisco.

They had continued to watch episode after episode, until it was well into the early hours of the morning, as they slowly nodded off, one by one. Caitlin was the first to go, surprisingly. She was sitting next to Cisco on the couch, and she had fallen asleep, with her head resting on her hand. Cisco was next, sleeping with his head leaning back against the couch, and his mouth slightly open, which obviously resulted in some very unflattering photos being taken for 'blackmail' purposes in the future by none other than Sophia.

Leaving just the two of them now, they spoke about her powers. She told him about her insecurities. How she felt as though she had too much power, how she didn't think she could handle it, or use it to do good like he could. Barry reassured her firmly that she would do great things, and that they were all there to help her achieve it. He told her exactly how he felt when it all happened, and reminded her all too well of the advice she had given him when he started his journey as a hero. She gave him a warm smile, and he reinforced the fact, that with time, it would become easier, and using her powers would be… natural. She thanked him again, giving him a hug to show her appreciation. It was when she was hugging him that she realised she never wanted to let go, but she knew that reality had other things in mind for her. Reluctantly she released her grip, and they sat side by side, talking about anything, and everything.

They spoke not of work, but of life, sharing desires and secrets in whispers as they tried not to wake their friends. It was a short while later that she started to fall into the land of dreams as she sat next to Barry on the floor, their bodies leaning against her couch. Slowly her head lolled back and forth from the couch, and she looked uncomfortable. Barry nudged her slightly, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, fitting her face in the comfortable crook of his neck, enjoying the warmth she snuggled in further unknowingly of course. It was then after five minutes of relishing in her presence that he too slowly started to drift off, relaxing as he put an arm around her and pulled her close, the team sleeping soundly after a long day's work.

There was something about that moment that Barry knew he would be cherishing for a long time to come.

 **A/N –**

 **I think it's time to party, we've reached 54 followers and 34 favourites after only 7 chapters.**

 **Thank you to _Alex-Kurotani, JediKendalina, zZhell-butterflyZz, Miss.V Potter, Unice1509, Flavia Santos, Nube2013, Sorarj123, LuCkY-StAr69, spnlife321, Tidal passion, Turtlekier42, darkoni66, LoverGirl007, Nerdy Jiyu, TheNamesCocoaPuff, TiraLu, xXTheIronButterfly3Xx, gummerbeartango, AvergerFrost, applesofiddun, jessica02062000, the-mad-girl-with-a-book, TomTomGirl, enje, HailHathNoFury, beccuh, doctor3378, chibi-no-baka, Lilyargent, barryallhen and FallenSlayer17 for the favourites and the follows. This is for the last few chapters because i hadn't been able to include them in. Thanks guys!_**

 **I'm absolutely stunned. I'd love to give each and every one of you a big hug. So as a thanks, this chapter is going up early. Keep the reviews coming, even if its just a few words.**

 **Love you guys. Let me know what you think about Sophia's powers! Basically, she's got the ability to manipulate energy and use it to create shields, force fields, blasts etc. More will be explored as time goes on, and as she uses her abilities on a daily basis. And she can FLY! Talk about exciting.**

 **My favourite part was when she was sleeping, and woke up floating on top of her bed.**

 **Next chapter is the FLARROW crossover. Exciting stuff. That chapter is super long, so it makes up for this chapter being shorter. I think the next chapter will be around the 10,000 word mark, or longer... let me know if that's too long, and i can split it into two chapters.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. X**


	9. Insanity

CHATPER NINE

 _Everyone on this planet, at some point in their lives, has had a major case of the feels. Those days when your heart is just too small to hold the big things you're feeling. Today's one of those days. We think of our emotions like they're these unique, personal phenomena that no one has ever felt what we have felt._

Barry ran across town, moving in and out of traffic, and performing small acts of kindness, like giving a visibly angry couple, some nice flowers and painting a whole building wall for a worker.

 _There is a basis in science for every emotion we feel, anger, love. As a scientist, I know there's nothing magical about what makes us feel something for someone else._

He then ran by Central City hospital, dropping off flowers for the sick kids in the paediatric ward where Sophia worked. As he ran through the halls he spotted her laughing with a patient, smiling as she pushed the little girl along in a wheelchair, and he swore his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

 _But then, I see her smile. Man that cannot be science._

He beamed, admiring her when Cisco's voice came through on the com system.

"Barry, bank robbery in progress – at Cunningham and Sampere," Cisco informed.

"I got it." Barry acknowledged as he left the hospital and ran down to the bank.

"Wait, that's where I bank." Caitlin said, a frown on her face.

"Once super thieves showed up, I went mattress." Cisco commented. Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Barry stopped someone from getting shot from another customer. He looked around, and everyone seemed to be snapping out of some sort of hypnosis. Barry got out of their quickly, running back his lab at the CCPD and changing back into his civilian clothing as he got himself back to the crime scene as fast as possible, this time as his other profession.

As he was examining some evidence on the scene, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, crunching on the shattered glass that littered the floor.

"Busy morning?" Joe asked, as he came up next to Barry. "Witnesses reported seeing a red streak?"

"Joe, you should have seen it. It was like everybody in here was trying to kill each other," Barry said with a worried expression. "I got here just in time." Barry said, motioning to the bullet that got stuck in a metal bar, rather than the skull of an innocent man.

"Well, it must've been a diversion, because there's half a million bucks missing from the vault." Joe said, tilting his head in the direction of the vault door that was sitting wide open.

"There's a tracer in the cash stacks. We're trying to find a signal," Joe said, he was desperate for answers, and he didn't like waiting. "Meantime, any idea what could've caused such a mass- _this_?"

"A neurotoxin, maybe…" Barry guessed, unsure of what could have caused such a mass panic. "I'm going to swab some surfaces, see what I can find, but I think maybe they got whammied."

"Did you just say _whammied?_ " Joe asked with a bewildered look on his face as he shook his head. They overheard Eddie talking to a suspect, well in this case seemed to be more of a victim, but she was the one who fired the gun, nearly blowing the head off another customer in the bank at the time of the robbery.

"I got so angry. I can't believe I did that. I would never hurt anybody," The woman explained, a look of sorrow on her face, "You have to believe me." She pleaded, fearing the worse.

"I do," Eddie nodded, reassuring her as she was escorted out of the crime scene. He wanted to take her back to the station to ask her more questions on the matter, hoping that it would shed some light on the investigation, even a small clue as to what had gone on that morning in the bank.

Soon enough they were all back at the CCPD, in the Captain's office, discussing what went down that morning. Eddie wasn't happy about the situation one bit. After hearing that the red streak had also made an appearance on the scene during the incident, he knew that something was wrong straight away, and he wanted to find out what it was.

"Something is happening in this city, and everyone wants to pretend like it isn't, but it is, and I think we should do something about it." Eddie said, trying to get the captain to listen to what he thought about the flash, and the weird occurrences that started to pop up around town after the flash came to Central City.

"My boyfriend has decided we need to eat healthy at home, so work is now the only place I can eat what I like," Captain Singh admitted to the team as he picked at the burger and fries on his desk, completely ignoring what Eddie had said, before changing his attention back to him, "Oh, _I'm sorry_ , were you saying something Detective?" He quipped sarcastically. The Captain was an avid believer in the police force, and the justice that the legal system provided not only for Central City, but the entire country. Though, he knew that there were times where this so called 'Flash' had saved the day, on more than one occasion, and he was willing to let it slide considering that he seemed to be the good guy.

"The blur, the flash, the man in the red suit, whatever he's called. He was spotted at the bank- this morning." Eddie pointed out with an accusing tone, causing Barry and Joe to share cautious looks from across the room.

"You mean the bank that was robbed of half a million dollars, where a dozen people tried to murder each other? And you think our attention should be focused on catching Santa Claus?" The Captain asked, causing Eddie to purse his lips at his comment.

"I can't explain how he gets to and from crime scenes so fast. We need to figure out who this guy is and what he wants." Eddie appealed, trying to get Singh to see his view. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore, and Eddie was sick of not knowing what was going on in this city. It made it that much harder to do his job and protect the people living in it.

"You should ask your girlfriend," The Captain rebutted, with a light chuckle. "She writes fan fiction about him." This comment didn't sit well in Eddie's gut as he clenched his jaw. Clearly the Captain wasn't going to take him seriously.

"Joe help me out here," Eddie pleaded, as he turned to his partner, only to receive no support.

"Sorry partner, I stopped believing in Santa when I was about eight." Joe felt bad lying to Eddie, but he had a promise to keep, and there was no way he was putting Barry in the spotlight for anything. Just before this, Barry had walked out of the room, pacing as he mulled over the fact that Eddie was trying to get a task force to basically take down The Flash, or at least figure out who he was. He could hear more muffled arguing when there was a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Iris, he tried to give her a small smile.

"Hey. What's going on in there?" Iris asked, peering through the window curiously.

"I think Eddie's trying to convince the Captain that The Flash is a public menace," Barry confessed, realising too late that his fast mouth would probably get him in a bit of trouble later.

"Excuse me?" Iris nearly shrieked. She had just spoken to Eddie about this whole situation this morning in bed, and his words were not following up with his actions. She was starting to bubble up with anger as he walked out of the Captains office.

"So after weeks of my trying to convince you that The Flash is real, now that you finally believe me, you're trying to have him arrested? What the hell?" Iris yelled at Eddie. _So much for trust._

"Thanks Barry," Eddie huffed sarcastically, causing Barry to awkwardly take a step back.

"Sorry," he apologised sheepishly.

"No worries. The Captain shot me down. Look, I'm not feeling like lunch. See you later." Eddie breathed out, replying to Iris as he moved away from the two and towards his desk to continue on with the investigation into the robbery.

"He's just jealous," Iris explained to Barry taking a deep breath. She didn't like fighting with Eddie, but sometimes the guy just didn't understand.

"Of The Flash? Should he be?" Barry asked raising an eyebrow in curiosity… not that he was interested, he noted to himself. That ship had sailed, and he was glad for it.

"No. I'll see you later," Iris said, taking her leave.

Barry's phone rang, and he picked up happily surprised to hear Sophia's voice.

"Barry, you need to get to Star Labs."

"Yeah, I will… After I eat that is." He responded, rubbing his stomach as the hunger started to settle in. He had skipped breakfast this morning, and he was running low on energy, and the hunger cramps were starting to appear.

"Bring me some blueberries on the way in will you, I'm feeling peckish."

"Sure thing, Lang."

* * *

"Hey Dad," Sophia greeted through the phone, with an excited voice, happy to speak to her father. They usually spoke once every few days, or at the longest, a week. But she hadn't spoken to him properly for over three weeks which made her both sad, and worried. He was going through some rough patches with his health, and her first thought was that he wasn't calling back because he was nervous about telling her about his heath, especially if it wasn't going in the right direction.

"My sweet Sophia, I've missed you're voice." Her father spoke in English. To anyone else, that would have seemed normal, but she knew better than that. She always spoke with her father in Cantonese, knowing that he felt more familiar and comfortable with it, being that it was his first language. He only used English when he was talking to _other_ people, or when he was trying to hide something from her.

"Why are you speaking in English?" Sophia said in Cantonese, reverting back to her second language. He chuckled through the phone nervously before responding.

"Because I felt like it, what's the issue Sophia?"

"Nothing," She said with a heavy sigh. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I've been taking my medication if that's what you're worried about. The doctor said that my cough should go away within a few weeks completely."

"That's good to hear." She smiled in relief, glad that some good news was coming through. She felt horrible that she was living so far from home, unable to check up on her dad, and help him out every now and then, especially in regards to taking care of him. The older he was getting, the more worried she was about him. Yes, he was only in his early 50s, but she was stressed that because he was on his own, he wouldn't look after himself as well as if someone was there by his side to help him out.

"I might come home sometime soon, you know visit you…"

"I would love that darling."

"I would too… I miss you," She admitted softly through the phone.

"I know. I'm proud of you. You're doing a great job as a nurse in Central City, and I couldn't be more proud of you Sophia. Don't stress about my health, I'm doing fine. I promise that if I need you, I'll call you."

"You better," She responded cheekily. She could just imagine the smirk on her father's face.

"Only if you tell me some more about that friend of yours." Her father was curious to hear about Barry Allen. He had noticed a post on social media a few weeks ago. It was of her with her new friends at Star Labs. He wouldn't have mentioned it at all, but he noticed the arm around her shoulder, and the massive grin on her face- on both of their faces, and he had to ask.

"What friend?" She asked nonchalantly and he laughed through the phone. They spent a while on the phone, chatting away about her work, and life in Central City. She did elaborate on the Barry/Star Labs side of things, but made sure not to give too much information away. She desperately wanted to tell her father about her new abilities. It was exciting and invigorating, but she knew that if she did, she would want to do it in person, and not over the phone, so she bit her tongue and directed the conversation away from it completely. She found that her uncle had come to visit her father recently, which made her slightly happier. She was glad that at least he had some family company on their big farm house back in Kansas. The longer she thought about it, the more she thought about her childhood home and how much she missed it. She wondered if she would ever move back to live there again… not now, but in the future… it was a nice sentiment, and it sat well with her. Once Barry decided to show up at Star Labs, she was alerted by Cisco on the coms, and decided to leave the kitchen where she was hiding out. She bid her father goodbye, promising to call him soon, and hoping that she would see him soon.

"I love you Dad."

"Love you sweetheart."

And with that, she was off to find the rest of the team, eager to see what they had discovered.

* * *

"Anger, hate, aggression." Dr. Wells said, emphasising each word as he spoke.

"A Jedi craves not these things," Cisco said, in a Yoda-like voice, causing Sophia to giggle softly, but no one else in the room reacted at all. "No one is feeling that quote?" Cisco frowned, making a face at Sophia, only for her to respond by making her eyes glow blue, causing Cisco to freak out and nearly fall out of his chair. She had been practicing with her powers all week, and managed to get the hang of just making her eyes glow, without actually using any of her energy blasts as she was describing them. And every second spent on practicing it was worth the look on Cisco's face.

"S-Sorry, slipped." Cisco mumbled, as he sat back up straight in his chair.

"Everyone in the bank went total savage for, like, five minutes. And then they were fine again." Barry said.

"Anger can be a powerful emotion." Dr. Wells said. "If this meta-human can endanger irrational feelings of anger in his victims, he can do a lot of damage," and Barry nodded his head in agreement.

"Sophia got a copy of the cat scans the hospital did on everyone at the bank."

"Here, take a look," She said, getting up out of her seat and passing a copy to everyone. "The emotion centres of the brains are still showing signs of being overwhelmed. Particularly the area that controls executive function." Sophia explained, pointing to the different parts of the brain on the scan that were inflamed, and highlighted by the scans.

"That's the part of the brain that stops people from doing whatever random and potentially destructive thing that pops into their head." Caitlin finished off.

"How do you think the Meta does it to them?" Sophia asked, and Caitlin just shrugged her shoulders.

"That's the half a million dollar question."

"Hmmm." Sophia hummed in agreement with Wells as the Dr. moved into his office.

Barry's phone vibrated, and he looked up with a slightly guilty face. "Hey, if you guys figure it out, just give me a call okay?"

"Is The Flash off to another rooftop rendezvous with Iris?" Caitlin asked, with a knowing tone, and Sophia avoided all eye contact with Barry as she tried to keep herself pre-occupied with some of the brain scans in front of her, trying to figure out what could be the cause.

"No." He lied, and poorly too, his whole face was a tell. "Yeah, but she probably just wants to ask me, I mean, you know, him about meta-human stuff for her blog," Barry mumbled. Even though he knew that he wasn't going there because he had feelings for Iris, he was still meeting up with her as The Flash because it boosted his ego, and he felt like he could talk to her honestly up there as someone else.

"Do you want some advice?"

"No matter what I say, I'm getting the advice right?" Barry asked, sighing.

"Don't get involved. As The Flash, or yourself. You don't want to be the one to blame for their breakup." _Thank god someone here has some common sense_ Sophia thought to herself as Caitlin spoke to Barry.

"Okay, I hear you." He said, and with that he was off to meet Iris on the rooftop of Jitters, basically ignoring Caitlin's advice all together.

Sophia continued to sit at her desk at Star Labs, looking over the CT scans, and highlighting any abnormalities, occasionally searching up different ways that these parts of the brain could be activated or inhibited. She stuck the end of the pen in her mouth, chewing on it slightly- a bad habit of hers, when Caitlin sat down next to her.

"You alright?" Caitlin asked, she noticed that Sophia was uncharacteristically quiet since Barry had left as his alter-ego to meet up with Iris. She wondered if this was because Sophia felt that Barry was still not over Iris, and well, since whatever was going on with them was starting to blossom into something, she was worried for her friend's feelings.

"What do you mean? Of course," Sophia responded with a light-hearted smile, looking at her friend with a confused expression.

"I mean about The Flash's regular rendezvous with Iris," Caitlin said nonchalantly as she eyed Sophia for any reaction from her.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" Sophia huffed, and turned back to her work, ending the conversation there. Caitlin turned around in her chair to see Cisco listening in on their conversation. He held up a finger to Caitlin, indicating for her to wait for a moment before he pulled out his phone and texted Caitlin.

'She's got it bad.' Cisco sent, with a heart eye emoji and a sad face with tears streaming down.

'Tell me about it.' Caitlin replied, adding the emoji that was huffing. They were just waiting for them to go out already, kind of sick of them burying their feelings away. It was painfully obvious.

"I'm going to whip something up in the kitchen, I'll be back soon," Sophia said, as she grabbed her phone, sticking her earphones in as she went to make herself a cup of tea. She had only been gone for about ten minutes before she started walking back to the cortex, busy with her thoughts. She had been practicing with her powers all week, but she hadn't managed to get a hold on any of her flying abilities. Just as she was about to sit back down in her chair, there was a whoosh noise, and Barry dropped Felicity down in the middle of the room much to everyone surprise. Sophia's face lit up with a smile when she saw her friend, but then Felicity's shirt suddenly combusted into flames, catching on fire from the obvious super run over, and consequently she was left in her bra, covering her chest with her bag with a frightened expression written on her face.

"Oh, I'm Sorry!" Barry yelled over the commotion.

"I'm glad I decided not to go braless," Felicity commented, obviously no filter was going on there as Sophia looked at her with wide eyes "oh my god," Sophia mumbled under her breath.

"You guys remember Felicity?"

"I'll always remember this," Cisco said with a straight face, as he started at the scene before him. Sophia went up behind him, whacking him on the head.

"Hi Felicity, it's so good to see you," Caitlin said, passing her a Star Labs jumper that she quickly slipped on, covering herself.

"What brings you back to Central City my friend?" Sophia greeted, walking over and giving her a tight hug.

"Not Barry?" Caitlin threw into the mix, and Sophia nearly face palmed, things were bound to get awkward now if they weren't before-which they were.

"No, not Barry. This?" Felicity said, pointing between the two of them, "Not happening. We looked down that road, and we said no, thank you." She babbled.

"They get it," Barry told Felicity with a tight expression as he noticed the awkward looks that were being sent around the room. Especially noticing the way Sophia froze up, not making direct eye contact with either of them.

"Actually I'm here because of this," Felicity said, pulling out a boomerang of all things out of her bag, causing Cisco to gasp in excitement.

"Awesome! What are the wings made of?" Cisco said, his eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Not sure, I'm thinking some sort of composite, or high-density plastic reinforced with carbon fibre." Felicity explained, giving her own opinion on what it could be made up of.

"Oh, that's weird," Cisco commented, as he brought the boomerang closer to his ear, as though he was listening to it. "It almost feels like its- vibrating."

"Yeah." Felicity agreed, and Sophia plucked the boomerang out of Cisco's hands, humming in agreement as she held the metal weapon.

"Oh, I wanna run some tests- and I wanna run 'em right now!" Cisco announced, getting right to work on the boomerang.

"Hey, you guys come up with anything new on our meta?" Barry asked, as they all gathered around the desk.

"The officer who was affected tonight says he saw a flash of red before he lost control." Sophia said, letting Caitlin finish, "I suspect the Meta is inducing rage via the ocular nerve."

"Oh, Dr. Wells wants to see you," Sophia told Barry, placing her hands on her hips, causing Barry to groan as he walked towards the treadmill room, to see Joe and Wells waiting for him.

"Why do I feel like I just got called into the principal's office?"

"Starling City Vigilante." That was all that needed to be said for Barry to know that he was about to be lectured.

"He calls himself the Arrow now," Barry sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to like how this conversation was going to proceed.

"Oh, he does _Flash_?" Joe asked sarcastically, putting emphasis on the name Flash.

"Wait, what's the problem?" Barry inquired, crossing his arms. It was starting to feel like an interrogating in here and he didn't like the atmosphere at all. It's now like he had done anything wrong.

"We don't trust him." Dr. Wells stated bluntly, causing Barry to get defensive about Oliver.

"You guys don't even know him," Barry scoffed.

"I know that he was wanted for murder in at least 12 different cases dating back 3 years," Joe countered, "I know there's been at least two major terrorist attacks in Starling since he became active."

"All right, but the cops, they're cool with him now," Barry explained, hoping that the two would relax and trust everything was under control. "He doesn't kill people anymore."

"And what about all the criminals that he puts arrows through? Those-what, don't count?"

"He's a hero, Joe." Barry tried to counter and Joe was having none of it, shaking his head at Barry's comment.

"You're a hero, Barry."

"You offer protection, hope, _light_. What that man does is carry out a dark reckoning for his city. It is a brutal, violent vision of justice, one we do not share," Dr. Wells clarified, trying to be a bit more diplomatic.

"You truly think he's a hero, fine, so be it. But he's not the kind you should be looking up to." Joe finished. Suddenly there was a crashing noise, and the sound of glass shattering from inside the cortex. The three moved fast to see what was going on, only to see everyone on the ground, their hands over their heads trying to not get hit.

"Aah! That's my bad." There was another crash, and more glass shattered, that was until Sophia jumped up from the floor and focused on the boomerang as it came flying towards her face, scaring Barry as he inched forward to move her out of the way. Before he could, her eyes glowed and she formed an energy bubble around the boomerang, stopping it from moving in air, and freezing it in place, safely containing the weapon. She slowly lowered it down onto the table before dissolving the bubble. Cisco thanked her, calling out "That's on me."

"Damn right it is," Sophia said getting up, and brushing the some glass off herself and helping Felicity up from the floor whose mouth was wide open in surprise. And she forgot that Felicity was the only one in that room that didn't know she was a meta-human.

"You- You're a- since when?!" Felicity nearly shrieked in excitement, as she grabbed onto Sophia's arm.

"Only recently… Let's go sit down while _Cisco_ cleans up this mess," Sophia said, leading Felicity over to a spot that wasn't covered in glass. She then went over basically the whole story. How she discovered that she had powers, what she could do, how they figured that out, and how she had been practicing to build them up, just like Barry did with his speed. The only different was that she hadn't gotten to the stage of flight yet. She was floating, and all kinds of weird shit, but she hadn't actually flown yet which was sort of a disappointment to both of them. She wondered why she was having trouble with it, but between helping team Flash, working her job at the hospital and just trying to get enough sleep everyday it didn't leave too much time to worry about flying. Instead she focused on creating energy shields, small ones and big ones, as well as controlled energy blasts, which were the basic extent of that ability… for now she hoped. She hoped, now that she had these powers she could help people just like Barry. She was scared out of her mind, but the possibility of doing good outweighed that fear.

Before they knew it, it had gotten late, and most of the team had actually left Star Labs. Barry was apparently running an errand related to the case, and Dr. Wells, Caitlin and Joe were nowhere in sight.

"Do you need a ride to the hotel you're staying at?" Sophia asked, as she slipped on her coat, and grabbed her bag, pulling out her car keys.

"Yes please, that would be lovely." Felicity replied, as they continued to catch up the whole car ride there.

* * *

It was the next morning, the sun shining brightly over Central City as the gang met up. They decided to meet up at Jitters that morning to discuss _work_ matters. Sophia was dressed in a pair of dark wash denim jeans, and a grey turtle neck jumper, with her favourite tan coat on top, and a comfortable pair of black flats on her feet. It was still cold most days in Central City, and she found that she had to take her jacket around when she went out just in case it started raining. She pushed the door open to Jitters, looking around see Felicity, Barry and Oliver sitting on a table in the corner. Sophia had figured out Oliver was the Arrow last night whilst talking with Felicity, but was sworn into secrecy, so Caitlin and Cisco did not know that she was meeting up with them this morning. She was surprised that she hadn't seen it sooner. She knew that felicity had worked closely with both Oliver and the Arrow, but she had never thought to make that connection. Then again, she had never met either in person before, so it wasn't that big of a deal. She freaked out a little bit over it the night before, but her emotional response to it all had subsided by this point, and she held no real judgements against Oliver considering she had never met him before.

Felicity waved Sophia over to their table, a contagious grin on her face as she sat with the two boys.

"Hi, you must be Sophia, I'm Oliver. Barry's told me a lot about you," Oliver said, greeting Sophia with a handshake as she took a seat across from Barry who was sitting next to Oliver.

"He has?" Sophia asked looking at Barry. "I hope it wasn't anything too bad."

"Nothing but kind things of course." Oliver's expression didn't match his words. He was polite, she had to admit, but there was something hidden under that exterior that seemed controlling and if she dare say, slightly annoyed. She wondered if Oliver even wanted to help them catch this bad guy in the first place. He seemed like the type of person who didn't ask for help… at least from people that he didn't know all that well.

"Well, now that we're all here, how about we get down to business." Felicity said, and Oliver nodded in agreement.

"The bad guy that you're after, the one who robbed the bank, his name is Roy G. Bivolo."

"Uh thanks?" Barry offered, unsure why Oliver was giving him this information. "How did you find that out? The guys still alive right?" and Sophia laughed at this, before pausing, realising he was _the_ arrow, and he did have a tendency for well _killing_ people... with pointy arrows.

"I thought you didn't want to help." Whoop, there it is. Obviously this news was public and she noticed Oliver's sharp intake of breath at Barry's questions.

"I'm not," Oliver said through gritted teeth, "It's just a name."

"All right," Barry mused, playing along. At least they had a lead now. Iris popped up, bringing some coffee goodness with her as she did.

"Ooh! One non-fat latte, extra sugar for Felicity, One soy chai latte for Sophia, and one coffee, black for Oliver," Iris said, placing the drinks down on the table before looking at Oliver with a dazed expression, "I brewed you a fresh pot," Iris told Oliver, with a dreamy look on her face.

"Thank you,"

"Yeah- Barry, um, can I talk to you for a second?" Iris asked sweetly, dragging Barry to the front of the shop.

"Yeah-okay, ow-," Barry complained as Iris punched his arm.

"What are you doing?"

"You did not tell me that you knew Oliver Queen." Iris squealed as she looked over Barry's shoulder at Oliver sitting with Sophia and Felicity.

"I know Oliver Queen," Barry declared, rolling his eyes at Iris's reaction.

"Oh my god, he's even more handsome in person. And his arms are like twice the size of yours," Iris said, using her hands to gesture how big Oliver's biceps must be. Barry frowned, looking down at his arms, and self-consciously rubbing them.

"Technically, they're not twice the size," Barry defended.

"He's on my three list."

"What's a three list?" Barry asked, utterly confused.

"My list of three guys I'm allowed to cheat on Eddie with. You usually don't meet people on your list, but now here he is, and I just cannot stop staring at him," Iris giggled, looking at Oliver from across the room. He didn't know how his mind trailed across this thought, but as he looked at Sophia laughing with Oliver and Felicity, he wondered if Sophia had a three list, and he wondered if Oliver was on that list.

"So Felicity told me about your _abilities_ ," Oliver mentioned nonchalantly, catching Sophia by surprise. She didn't mind considering that she knew his identity, it was only fair, but she felt a bit nervous hearing his words.

"Yeah, I'm pretty new to the business. Any tips would be much appreciated."

"I think I can help you out with that." Oliver said, and she smiled just as Barry was walking over to the table.

"Okay." Oliver said, causing Barry to look at him confused.

"Okay-what?" Barry asked.

"Okay, we'll help you catch your bad guy."

"Great." Sophia replied, giving Felicity a smile. This would be one hell of an experience, and she was looking forward to every second.

"Meta-human," Barry corrected.

"I am not calling him that Barry," Oliver stated, a blank expression on his face.

"Partners?"

"Partners," Oliver concluded, shaking his hand, and instructing him to meet him later for a training session. Felicity and Oliver then went their separate ways, leaving Sophia and Barry sitting at the table.

"So what do you think of Oliver?" Barry couldn't help himself, he had to ask, and he had to know if she was as crazy about him as Iris was.

"He seems nice enough, but I get the feeling that he didn't want to work on this with us even though he said yes."

"Yeah, he's a bit hesitant about accepting help. He likes to do things his way, but I'm sure it'll turn out fine." Barry noted that she hadn't mentioned anything about his physical appearance in comparison to Oliver's like Iris had, and he took that as a good sign.

"I hope so," Sophia said with a sigh. She was nervous about working this case. Even though she had been a part of the team, her role had been solid before. She knew where she stood, and she was comfortable with the tasks she was given. Now, now it was completely different. Now she was expected to be one of them… a hero, and she wasn't sure that she was ready for that just yet. She just hoped that whatever happened, it'd turn out alright.

"So I'll see you later?" Barry asked, with a smile on his face. He was looking forward to spending some more time with Sophia. The last few days, he hadn't had the chance and he found himself missing her presence.

"Sure thing, don't be late Allen," She said with a light hearted tone, but the look in her eyes told him that she was being serious.

"I won't be," He said with a wink, before leaving and Sophia's heart skipped, pounding in her chest faster than before. She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer that things would work out between them alright. She liked him, she just wasn't sure if he liked her back. She was getting mixed signals, and it was so hard to keep track of things. She was sure that her nerves would explode if the tension between them kept building.

* * *

Sophia had arrived at the site half an hour earlier than she was meant to, and was surprised to see Oliver already there.

"You're early Sophia," Oliver commented, without turning around. She wondered how he knew that it was her, but then realised that 1. Barry Allen was always late, and 2. That if it was Barry there would have been a whoosh noise indicating that he had arrived, so of course it had to be her.

"I like to be organised," Sophia replied with a small smile.

"I'm not here to help you with your powers, I want to see what you can do without them," Oliver said, turning around, and motioning for her to step forward, getting straight to the point. Sophia eyed him carefully, knowing he wasn't a real people person, well his alter-ego that is.

"Alright then, we spar?" She asked, slightly nervous, after all this was the Arrow, and she didn't know him well enough to make any set judgements. All she knew at this point was that he wasn't a hundred per cent on board with working with them, and that he had a bit of a short temper.

"We spar," Oliver repeated. "Well until Barry gets here at least."

And with that they circled each other, her eyes watching his every move, his every step, trying to calculate where he would go. She had taken up classes in taekwondo as a kid, her father wanting her to be able to protect herself, so she knew her way around some fighting hand to hand. She knew that because she was small in comparison to Oliver that she should let him make the first move, blocking him rather than attacking, after all the best offence was a strong defence. But she didn't really count on getting far in this fight, knowing that her experience was no match.

Oliver moved first, his fist moving to hit her stomach, which she blocked with her two hands, struggling under his strength. She moved back, blocking a kick that was coming her way, and then ducking a second later as a fist flew out to hit her face. She then decided to try and get in a hit of her own when Oliver blocked that too, which was not surprising at all. Oliver moved to knock her legs from underneath her, so she jumped, moving herself back as she tried to make some space, but Oliver was having none of that as he moved forward with her again, this time managing to get a hit in on her shoulder, which pushed her balance of point, leaving her open for an attack, which came in the form of a kick to the back of her knees, sending her sprawling on the ground on front of her.

"You've got some good defensive moves, but you need practice." Oliver said, before demonstrating some moves that she could easily do herself, which would give her the upper hand in any fist fight. He told her to demonstrate them once he had finished and when she did it wrong, he corrected her and told her to do it again. She tried a few more times til she got the few moves down pat. This seemed to change her perspective a little bit. She grew a greater sense of respect for him as a fighter, but as a person, he still needed to work on the conversation skills.

"You can't always rely on your powers to defend yourself, because anything can happen, and you might be faced with a situation in which they are not available to you," Oliver explained, and Sophia nodded agreeing with him. They sat down to catch their breath after sparring for an hour. Barry was half an hour late, and they were wondering when he would come by.

It was a few minutes later that he popped by, rushing in as usual.

"You're late," Oliver stated, expertly twirling an arrow with his fingers. "Barry, _how_ can you have super speed and still not be on time?"

"Sorry, I guess the super-tardiness kinda neutralizes it," Barry apologised sheepishly.

"So how do we catch Bivolo here?" Barry asked looking around.

"Oh, no, we don't here," Oliver said, walking to grab his bow from a wooden box nearby. "We're here to train."

"Which _we_ already, did, so I'm just here to watch," Sophia huffed out, relaxing from her position on the floor as she watched the two get ready.

"What? Like Rocky?" Barry laughed with a goofy grin on his face. Sophia rolled her eyes, hoping that Barry would take it seriously… after all Oliver was quite serious, and she was sure that Barry's cockiness would get him into trouble.

"I read your friend Iris's blog post on The Flash, and I visited all the crime scenes you fought at," Oliver said, his face still as stoic as ever.

"Don't you sleep?" Barry asked, with a slightly creeped out expression on his face.

"Last month you took on a man named Leonard Snart."

"We call him Captain Cold," Sophia piped in with a slight grimace as she remembered their last encounter. He hadn't popped up in Central City as of yet, something she was glad of, but she knew he wouldn't be gone for long.

"We can talk about you giving your enemies silly code names later," Oliver said, with a frown on his face, and Barry scoffed.

"You mean like over coffee with Deathstroke, and The Huntress?" Barry pointed out, causing Sophia to bite her lip to contain her grin. Oliver was being slightly hypocritical, but all that testosterone blinded him from seeing that. Sophia was beginning to see that Oliver didn't like to be interrupted.

"The _point_ is that you engaged Snart on a commuter train, which he derailed."

" _Okay_ , there may have been some damage, but I got the job done. I was the hero." Barry defended, looking over at Sophia. She just shrugged her shoulders at him. That was probably a bad example of their work trying to help people, after all it did end up kind of a disaster and they lost Snart and the diamond in the process, barely escaping with their lives really.

"Barry when you approach a new environment, do you case every inch of it? You could. You have the time. But you don't. You just run in blind." Oliver was starting to sound really bitchy right about now, but Sophia could see where he was coming from, he was trying to give Barry advice, even though it wasn't coming across in the right manner. "There's a difference Barry between having powers, and having precision."

"When I came to you thinking about going out and helping people, you said I could be an inspiration."

"Living this life, well it takes more than a mask. It takes discipline. And since you're probably as stubborn as I am," Oliver said, notching an arrow to his bow.

"What's that for?" Barry asked hesitantly as Oliver lifted the bow and arrow up, ready to aim.

"You're going to run over there, you're going to come back at me, and you're going to get hit with an arrow."

Barry laughed, and shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." Oliver said, giving him a fake laugh. "Tell your boyfriend he's going to get hit." Oliver said to Sophia, and she glowered at him in return, ignoring the comment, and crossing her arms.

"Okay, fine, I will humour you." Barry stated, after Oliver's comment, knowing that he was stubborn enough to keep them there all day until he did it. In a flash, Barry was over on the other side of the hill, a look of determination on his face.

"Ready?" Oliver shouted, out to Barry and he nodded.

'Ready!" Oliver let the arrow go, flying through the air towards Barry, who caught it within seconds, running up back to them.

"Nice try," Barry smirked, as he twirled the arrow he had caught in his hand. A second later, two arrows had flown out of the grass behind him, sailing through the air as they pierced his back.

"Gah! Ah! What, you shot me?" Barry yelled in pain, as Oliver walked over, pulling an arrow out of his back. Sophia ran over immediately, supporting Barry from his front as he panted, gasping in pain.

"I heard you heal fast." Oliver commented casually.

"That was totally uncalled for," Sophia said, as she pulled the second arrow out of Barry's back carefully, applying pressure to the wound, which caused Barry to yelp in pain. "Sorry."

"You'll heal soon," Sophia whispered, grimacing as she wiped the blood of her hands and onto her jeans.

So much for a productive day. Oliver was slightly insane with his methods even though they yielded results. She just hoped that everything would turn out fine, but at this point, anything could happen.

 **A/N –**

 **The crossover episode has been split into two chapters, this being part one. Part two will be published soon, depending on the amount of reviews. More reviews means you get it earlier. ;)**

 **I'm just teasing, I won't make you wait long… but seriously… more reviews will actually mean you get it earlier, because then I know ya'll want it, and even if I'm at work, I will find a way to get it to you.**

 **Also, I realised that I haven't given her father a name yet, so anyone with any recommendations, please write away. Keep in mind that her father comes from an American-Chinese background, but he lived in America for most of his life, whereas Sophia's mother was American born and raised in Kansas.**

 **ALSO, so happy the story has reached over 60 follows!**

 **As usual, huge thanks for the follows, favourites and reviews. Special mention to – Starlyrical, golden-priestess, highlander248, It199798, witchbaby300, margarawr, terra-fair, enje, LinXiaoAi17, and natie27 for the follows and the faves. Welcome to the club!**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	10. Take a Chance

CHAPTER TEN

Sophia and Barry walked back into Star Labs, after they had made a quick pit stop at his place to get a change of clothes seeing as though his shirt had a massive hole in it, with blood stains as matching accessories.

Barry winced the whole car ride over, complaining about how his shoulder hurt. Sophia sighed deeply, unsure of what she could do to help. His body would heal naturally within the next hour or two, and it'd be like nothing happened… but at this current moment Barry was actually an insufferable whiner. He spoke about Oliver, and how his tactics were brutal, and his opinion in regards to a plan, too headstrong. Sophia agreed, but stayed silent as he ranted on. She felt as though this was the longest she had ever heard Barry speak. She wondered if Barry was jealous of Oliver… of his experience… of his success… whatever it was, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that Oliver was a good person, who just came across in the worst way possible. She got a strong "I don't need anyone" vibe off him, and she hoped that he didn't rub off on Barry that way. Sophia then paused Barry in his long rant, asking him if he wanted to go home for a change of clothes and he agreed, nodding his head lightly before sinking back into the comfortable leather of her car, and closing his eyes, trying to relax.

As soon as they walked into the cortex, Joe had dragged Barry over to discuss something privately, and Caitlin called Sophia to check some scans out, needing a second medical opinion. They gave each other a smile goodbye before moving their separate ways.

Sophia walked over to Caitlin and Felicity as they discussed their theories on what the meta-human's powers were, and how they caused the mass panic and anger. Most of them agreed that the colour of Bivolo's eyes were the most plausible explanation.

"Have you heard of colour psychology?"

"The theory that changes in the colour spectrum can affect emotion…" Sophia answered, hoping that was what Caitlin was referring to.

"Yes, I was thinking that if Bivolo uses colour to induce the temporary psychosis, maybe we can use light and colour to reverse it." Caitlin explained, both Felicity and Sophia agreeing with her.

"Sounds like we should give it a try."

"Miss Smoak, a word, if you please," Dr. Wells called Felicity over, leaving Caitlin and Sophia to work on this theory.

"So how would we get this to work?"

"Well, Cisco said he could use some strobe lighting we have in storage to create the lights and colours opposite to that of Bivolo's to reverse the process," Caitlin said, as they looked up the sort of equipment they would need.

"We have all of this at Star Labs?" Sophia questioned, it was a lot of lighting, but then again this use to be a multi-million dollar corporation and avenue into scientific research, so they had all kinds of whacky technology and spare parts laying around. She wouldn't be surprised if they had a prototype time machine sitting in their basement.

"Yeah, Cisco's actually building it as we speak."

The two girls continued to work on the stuff, Sophia taking control over Cisco's job for the moment. Felicity and Barry both made it back into the room, chatting as she did so.

"How'd it go with Oliver?"

"You know, to be honest, not exactly the partnership I thought it would be," Barry admitted, wincing at the memory of getting shot with arrows.

"Oh, did he really do the thing with the arrows?" Felicity asked, surprised Oliver went through with it.

"You knew he was going to shoot me?" Barry accused Felicity, with wide eyes.

"Whoa, it is practically impossible to tell when Oliver's making a joke," Felicity defended. It was in that moment that the computer made a ping noise, alerting them that something had come up.

"Hey, we just got a ping from the facial recognition software on Bivolo, or according to Cisco, _Prism_." Sophia said, as she continued typing on the computer, trying to get a map up.

"Since when do we have facial recognition software?" Barry asked, peering over Sophia's shoulder as she typed away.

"Happy Hanukkah," Felicity said in a sing-song voice. _Man this would have helped that one time that guys face was burnt off_ Sophia thought. _Thank god for Felicity Smoak_.

"Where can I find him?"

"Traffic cameras just caught him entering a residence at 168 Jarvis." Sophia announced, as she stepped back from the computer. She wanted to go with, and help Barry, knowing him well enough to figure that he wouldn't call Oliver.

"We should let the Arrow know," Felicity said quickly, pulling her phone out to call him.

"I can handle this solo, I've done this before." Barry said, as he moved to grab his gear.

"Barry, I really think you need to wait-," Felicity called out, only to be cut off by Barry.

"Felicity, I don't need his help." And with that Barry was gone in a flash, his red suit disappearing from the manikin that held it. Sophia glowered at the empty display, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. They had never gone up against someone like this before, and she was worried that Barry would get whammied. He was being irrational and cocky to begin with today, and she knew that sometimes he ran into things head on, rather than taking a step back to look at the bigger picture, which sometimes was his downfall. She just prayed that he would come back in one piece, even if he didn't capture Bivolo.

* * *

It wasn't long til Barry was back in the room, and Caitlin was examining him. He had cornered Bivolo, but wasn't able to capture him, and he got away. Barry was now sitting on the bed, clenching his jaw in frustration at the obvious failure. Caitlin insisted that she do a check-up, worried that Bivolo's powers could have affected Barry.

"No signs of macular damage, your retina and cornea seem unaffected," Caitlin evaluated as she shone a light in his eye, looking for any signs of him being whammied. He seemed to be perfectly normal, and he wasn't exhibiting any noticeable signs of aggression as of yet.

"I told you, I'm fine," Barry said, in a strained voice, causing Sophia to eye him cautiously. There was something about the tone that he used that didn't sit well with her. Barry wasn't usually an angry person, but when he was, it was easy to tell by the way he spoke.

"You said Bivolo whammied you," Sophia stated, and Cisco cut her off. "No desire to go MMA on any of us?" He asked, curiously.

"No." He looked annoyed, and Sophia wondered if that was just Barry fed up with the day's loss or if he was actually affected by Bivolo. "Yeah, I mean, something weird happened- with his eyes for a sec."

"Weird thing?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, everything went red," Barry described.

"You were right," Felicity, said to Caitlin. "That's how he's controlling them."

"Okay, next thing you know, Bivolo was gone. Look, obviously his powers didn't work on me, so-?"

"So, _what_? Everything's fine now? It wasn't the smartest thing to go out there alone, you're taking too many unnecessary risks," Sophia berated Barry. "If you didn't want to call the Arrow, you could have taken me," She continued. Even though he managed to escape this time, who knows what could have happened. He was acting reckless, and she wanted to know why. Was he jealous of Oliver? Or did he just dislike asking for help?

" _Ha_ \- so what? You could make a _bubble_ and capture Bivolo," Barry scoffed, pushing past Sophia's shoulder harshly. She looked at him with wide eyes, astonished that he would have made such a comment. Yes, she had only been in the hero business for a few weeks at most, but she had the ability to help more than any of the cops could have, and it was clear that Barry couldn't take this guy down on his own. His harsh words sent a pang through her chest, and she was sure that he was under Bivolo's influence.

"Actually, _yeah_ , at least then we would have caught him," She threw back at him as she turned around to face him, and Barry's eyes flashed red, causing her to take a step back as his tall posture cowered over her threateningly.

"I don't need anyone's help, _especially_ yours," Barry shouted, his voice booming throughout the room. Everyone turned to look at the fight in shock that he had exploded like that. He was _so_ whammied. "You couldn't even manage to help your friend Anna, how the hell could _you_ expect to help me or any of us for that matter."

 _Low blow Allen._ Sophia honestly didn't know what to say to that. Her face contorted from anger to being ashamed within seconds. She gave a weak smile, and she could feel the tears of frustration beginning to form. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and she ignored their stares.

"Whatever you say Allen," Sophia said with a clenched jaw, as she shoved past Barry, leaving the room in a hurry. She made her way up to the rooftop of Star Labs where she sat, her legs dangling off the edge of the building as she tried to cool down, and remind herself that Barry was whammied, and that he wouldn't have yelled at her like that if he wasn't. She tried hard not to cry, but the more she thought about what he said, the more she realised it was true.

No matter how much she wanted those words to disappear, and for them to have never been spoken, she realised that she had failed her friend. She hadn't been able to help Anna. But she swore that she would do anything and everything in her power to help Barry, and to help their team. She wiped away the few stray tears that had landed on her face with the back of her hand, and stared off into the night sky. Sophia didn't like to cry. She thought of herself as a strong person, and she always thought that she wouldn't waste her tears on helpless situations, but save them for a rainy day. She wasn't sure how long she had been up there until Caitlin called her down, announcing that there was a breakthrough with Bivolo.

She made her way down there, walking in the room with a deadpan expression. She was not in the mood for this right now. She really wanted to hit something… or someone. Which felt weird considering she was usually a pretty calm person. She wondered if this was her powers having an effect on her emotions, but figured it was probably just because she was arguing with Barry, something that didn't happen too often, probably why it was hitting her that much harder.

"It's possible that his body is fighting off the effect- so it's hitting him slower," Caitlin explained as she walked through the doors, taking a seat.

"When it comes to rage, that is not a good thing. The longer you suppress your emotions, the bigger the explosion," Dr. Wells said with a worried expression. If Barry's anger kept growing, it would be hard to catch him.

"Considering what he can do, how do we even stop him?" Felicity asked.

"A cold-gun would come in real handy right about now," Cisco commented, and Caitlin glared at him. "Hey, I'm just sayin'."

"None of us can stop Barry," Caitlin reminded everyone. They knew first-hand how fast Barry was, and how smart he was. There was no way this was going to be easy, if at all possible.

"No," Sophia said, "None of _you_ can," she pointed out.

"Are you volunteering Miss Lang?" Dr. Wells asked, curious as to where this was going.

"Yes. I am. But I think I'll need some help," Sophia said, determined to get Barry back to normal. Yes she was pissed off, she was hurt, but there was one thing that she always knew. She would never _ever_ leave Barry behind.

"I think it's time you call back Oliver Queen, we're gonna need The Arrow's help," Dr. Wells said, much to everyone's surprise.

Sophia looked over at Felicity who gave her a pointed look "What I didn't say anything," Sophia mumbled.

* * *

"I was going to show you later once I had properly finished it, but this is just the prototype," Cisco explained as he lead Sophia through the maze of halls at Star Labs, to the engineering room where he had been working on a new suit for her.

"You better like this," Cisco said, pulling off the white sheet that was draped over the manikin, revealing a magnificent blue super-suit. It was a dark navy one-piece, with lighter hints of a sapphire blue embedded into the pattern of the uniform. Similar in style to Barry's minus the hood and no symbol on the chest. Sophia stood there in awe for a moment, taking it all in. Excitement was building up inside of her and she jumped on Cisco, giving him the tightest hug as she squealed in delight. "I'm guessing that means you like it."

"It's amazing," Sophia breathed out, as she touched the smooth leather. She swore she almost swooned when she touched the fabric. It was perfect, there was no other way to describe it. Not wanting to waste a second she grabbed the suit with permission from Cisco, and went to get changed. It was a streamline fit, and though she found it a bit snug, it was quite flattering. _Thank you Cisco._ The thing she decided she loved the most about it were the gloves, that Cisco explained would be able to discharge her energy blasts much more effectively, to hit the target. Cisco also gave her an earpiece, and her mask. She placed the earpiece in her ear, cringing when Cisco yelled 'testing one, two, three' because the genius had left the volume on high. She opened the lid of the box, looking at the eye mask in awe. It was beautifully crafted, a bold blue that would definitely standout. The material felt soft, yet firm and she couldn't wait to put it on.

They made their way back into the cortex, the others staring in awe, as Sapphire entered in her suit.

"Wow," Felicity breathed out, " _So cool_."

"Oliver's outside, ready to pick you up," Caitlin mentioned as she came back in. Sophia nodded, pulling out her hair tie, and leaving her hair to flow down in waves. She grabbed her mask, and zipped up the matching boots to her suit before heading outside to find The Arrow on his motorbike, bow and all.

"Let's go," The Arrow said, his deep voice sounding vastly different to his normal one-but Sophia figured that was the point. Sophia placed the navy mask on her face, covering her eyes as she sat on the bike, behind The Arrow, wrapping her arms around his waist as they moved forward.

"Any leads on Barry's location?" Sophia asked, the team back at Star Labs as they zipped in and out of traffic through the dark streets of Central City.

"I have him, facial recognition picked him up on a traffic camera downtown." Cisco called out through the ear piece and she nodded, The Arrow having heard it as well, pressed down on the accelerator faster, as more commotion came through the line. Barry was now on the loose after Eddie, and they were rushing to get there in time before Barry did something he regretted. Sophia asked for updates on the situation, and apparently Barry had stopped Iris's car in the middle of the road. Eddie had then gotten out, with his gun, ready to protect themselves from The Flash when Barry ran at him with full force, attacking him. Judging from what she heard Cisco say, she figured that Barry was letting out his anger on Eddie for trying to get a team together to hunt The Flash down.

They got there just in time, Oliver shooting an arrow at Barry as they lured him into the corner of an alleyway, leaving Eddie and Iris safe… for now.

"Jump," The Arrow yelled, as they crashed into Barry who had sped over to them, standing in their way. Sophia jumped, her flight automatically, keeping her from crashing on the ground. A second later, both feet were firmly planted on the ground as Barry and Oliver fought hand to hand. Oliver was losing at this point, and Sophia threw a blast of energy at Barry, pushing him back into the wall across the alleyway. She didn't even have to tell Oliver, and he had already shot the tranquilizer at Barry. They both took a deep breath, hoping that it was over as Barry lay on the ground panting.

"Should be hitting you any time now," Oliver's gruff voice came out, and Barry groaned in pain, his eyes glowing scarlet as he stood back up off the ground, shaking the drug off at inhumane speeds. He moved his body so fast, that the drug had been shaken out of his system, floating off him like a cloud of purple dust. Sophia's heart pounded in her chest nervously as she watched Barry, his anger growing by the minute.

"We're not done! Is that all you got?" Barry roared, and Sophia moved on her feet quickly. She threw a blast of energy, hitting him right in the abdomen, sending him off balance for a second, giving her enough time to run up and kick him right behind his knee, sending him sprawling to the ground. He had gotten back up quickly enough and grabbed Sophia by her shoulders, running her back into the wall behind her. She groaned as her back made harsh contact with the solid bricks, the pain increasing when he squeezed down on her shoulders.

"Sorry, I have to do this." She threw both of her hands against his chest, the energy pushing him back away from her in an instant, leaving him skidding on one knee, and his hands out in front of him as he tried to balance the fall. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Oliver move forward as Barry got up, but Sophia told him to stay. She punched Barry in the jaw, catching him off guard and immediately she created a bubble-like shield around him, keeping him from going anywhere. Barry pounded his fists on the shield, not being able to break through. His eyes were still red and the longer she looked at his face, the angrier he seemed to get. She had to admit that it felt good getting her anger out.

"Now, Joe!" Sophia yelled, and a van came barrelling down the side of the alley within a second. The doors were pushed wide open, and the lights turned on, as Sophia forced Barry in the direction of the van. Barry looked at the lights, dazed as the effects started to reverse themselves. When Barry started to slump against the inside of the shield, Sophia let it go, rushing over to catch him before he fell, placing one arm around him, as Oliver supported the other side.

"Barry, you okay?" She asked, placing her fingers under his neck as she tried to feel for a pulse. He responded a second later, relieving her of her worry.

" _Oh_ this is going to be a special kind of hangover," Barry groaned, his head pounding as he tried to get his legs moving again. Oliver smirked, shaking his head in mirth as they helped Barry into the van.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll sober up soon," Sophia chuckled, as they climbed in the van and went back to Star Labs. Oliver went to salvage what was left of his bike, finding it to be perfectly well, and decided to meet them there. Sophia and Barry sat in the back of the van, the others in the front seat, driving. She leaned against the seat, taking in a deep breath.

Barry didn't know what to say. Should he apologise first? Should he ask if she wasn't hurt after all, he had pushed her against that wall pretty hard? Should he mention the fact that his vision was still hazy and he was sure that he was seeing two of Sophia at this very moment? Or should he say something about the suit that she was wearing, and how it made his heart skip a beat when he realised that she had come back for him even after he was so god damn awful? He didn't know, so he just let his lips do the talking, and didn't register the first few words that fell out of his mouth.

"Nice suit." Was the first thing that he had said, and he wanted to regret it, but after seeing the small blush that adorned Sophia's cheeks he knew that he didn't, not one bit.

"Thanks," She said, smiling shyly. She took off her mask, holding it in her hand. "Cisco made it for me, still a prototype…but I like it."

"It looks good," Barry murmured as he looked her up and down, admiring the way the suit complimented her body. He blinked multiple times, trying to get rid of any thoughts about _that_ at least for now. He didn't know how to even begin to apologise. He remembered every moment, every fight he had that day and he had a long list of people he needed to apologise to. Sophia looked down, focusing on the mask in her hand as she saw Barry starring at her.

"I'm sorry," He breathed out. He figured that was the best way to start.

"There's no need to apologise." The words trailed out of her mouth softly, "It wasn't your fault… plus, it was kind of true."

"What?" He was sure that her words had sobered him up.

"What you said, a-about Anna. I couldn't help her," she admitted with a heavy sigh, "But I swear, I'm going to try, I'm going to do my best to help you all," she said, looking down in embarrassment as her eyes teared up. Barry's heart clenched up in guilt as he saw her posture fall, and the tears springing from her eyes. He wish he could go back and change what happened, but he knew that was impossible.

"Hey, no, it's not true. You did everything that you could, you've always been there for me, and for her. I-I was angry, there was a part of me that enjoyed being angry at you, _at everyone_ , and I'm so sorry. I never meant to say those things, please forgive me Sophia," Barry said, sitting forward, reaching out for her hand. She grasped his hand, squeezing it slightly. She looked up and gave him a weak smile.

"I forgive you."

* * *

"My identity is a closely-guarded secret known only to a few, and if it were to get out, will endanger my family, my friends and it would embolden my enemies to retaliate at me through them," Oliver spoke sternly to the team, basically telling them to keep their traps shut.

"What Oliver is trying to say is that he had a lovely time working with you and getting to know each of you, and he can't wait to do it again, soon." Felicity took over, basically sweeting everything Oliver had said. Sophia chuckled, smiling at how adorable the two fit together.

"Right."

"You know, it didn't sound like that's what he was saying," Cisco mumbled, causing a few of them to laugh.

"I may not agree with your methods, but- Thank you," Joe said, shaking Oliver's hand causing Barry to don a smug smile. Joe had claimed that he would never thank The Arrow but here he was doing exactly that.

The girls moved to the other side of the room, having a small conversation as Oliver spoke to Dr. Wells.

"Hey, if I had a DNA sample I was unable to fully break down, do you think you could isolate the genetic markers for me?" Felicity asked. She felt nervous asking for this favour. Not because she didn't think that Caitlin would do it, but nervous of what it might bring. She wasn't sure that she was ready to face the facts, and discover who the real killer responsible for Sara's death was, but she knew that it had to be done, and that if they wanted to catch this person, it needed to be now and not later.

"Sure, what's the sample from?" Caitlin asked with a smile.

"The Canary's murder."

"Of course," Caitlin replied sweetly, her face softening at Felicity's words. Sophia then moved in, pulling Felicity in for a hug.

"How about a coffee for the road?" Sophia suggested, and Felicity nodded. Once Oliver was ready, they all moved out to Jitters, meeting Barry there as Team Arrow made their final stop before heading back to Starling City. Felicity and Sophia stood at the counter, waiting for Iris to bring their drinks, as they chatted, whilst Barry and Oliver talked it out privately at a table.

"Um, so listen I'm really sorry for what I said in the field, and then last night in the street. I wish I could say it was all because of whatever Bivolo did to me, but I guess I had more feelings bottled up than I thought," Barry apologised, and Oliver nodded, accepting his apology.

"You can always talk to me," Oliver offered.

"Yeah, thank you." Barry said, taking a deep breath before continuing, "And you were right, I still have _a lot_ to learn," Barry chuckled.

"There's one more thing, and you're not going to like it." Oliver stated carefully. He felt that he should tell Barry, save him from the heartbreak. He saw the way that Barry looked at Sophia, it was the same way he looked at Felicity, and he knew that he owed it to Barry to be honest with him.

"Does it involve you shooting me in the back?" Barry joked.

"No, no the heart." Oliver said softly and Barry's brow furrowed in confusion.

"That's not going to work out for you," Oliver said, pointing his head in Sophia's general direction. "You need to let her go, for both of your sakes." Barry turned his head to look at Sophia laughing with Felicity as they hugged each other goodbye. He felt his heart drop at Oliver's words. He had just realised how he felt about her, he couldn't let it go now… he couldn't let _her_ go.

"Guys like us don't get the girl."

The conversation ended there, as they greeted each other goodbye, Oliver leaving Jitters with Felicity in tow. Sophia walked up to Barry's table, taking the seat opposite from him, a beaming smile on her face.

"So I was thinking, as a 'Welcome back _sane_ Barry Allen' we'd grab some take-out for the team, and celebrate the victory at Star Labs, after all last night was also my debut as a superhero," Sophia said grinning, and Barry just nodded yes, too caught up in his thoughts about what Oliver just said. _He's right, it might put her in more danger,_ a part of him thought, and the other half was trying to think about it logically. _But she's a meta-human as well, she's like me now, she's going to be in danger all the time… and she can take care of herself. Just ask her out… take a chance._

"Barry?" Sophia asked, clicking her fingers in front of his face to break him out of his trance like state. "Not still whammied are you?" She asked, "I don't want to have to take you out again," She teased, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. If she was being truthful, after she arrived home last night, she felt giddy on the high from all the adrenaline that had been running through her veins. Even though it was tough fighting Barry, she had to admit that it did feel good to win, especially when they locked up Bivolo late that night.

"Go out with me." Barry blurted out, causing Sophia to look at him with wide eyes her smile dropping immediately. His heart was pounding in his chest as he waited for her response.

"S-Sorry _what_?" _What?!_

"On a date. W-with me." Barry said, gulping as he waited for her response. "Let me rephrase that again. Would you like to go out on a date with me?" Barry said clearer this time, gaining more confidence. He was tired of being told _how_ to feel by everyone around him, he just wanted to do what made him happy.

"A-are you sure you have the right person?" Sophia fake laughed, as her insides turned to mush at the very idea of going out with Barry _on a date_. "I thought you-," but before she could finish her sentence he cut her off.

"I'm serious."

"…" She was silent for at least a minute, not believing that those words were coming out of his mouth. _Am I hallucinating or something?_

"I-I mean it's okay if you don't want to I-," Barry started mumbling out nervously, which seemed to snap her out of her thoughts.

"N-No. I-I mean, yes, ugh," She blabbered, "What I mean is, that I'd love to," She said slowly, getting the words out. Barry's face lit up, immediately, and she blushed at all the attention. "I just was not expecting that… _at all_ ," Sophia admitted, gnawing on her lip due to her nerves.

"Believe me, I-I wasn't either." Barry confessed. "I've been wanting to, for a while, _and_ there's no time like the present," Barry proclaimed, and Sophia's cheeks donned a deep scarlet, making his grin even larger.

"So…" she slowly started off, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "When shall this date take place?" She asked, a contagious smile on her face.

"Tonight," Barry sated. With their busy lives, who knows when they'd find another day where they were free of their superhero work, and their normal life of work?

"Tonight?" She asked with a slightly panicked voice. "Isn't that um… a bit fast?"

"Fast is kinda what I do," Barry whispered leaning over, and she snorted, bringing both of her hands up to cover her mouth as she continued to laugh. " _Wow,_ that sounded way cooler in my head."

"I'll set up the movie at my place and you get food."

"Your wish is my command," Barry said smiling at her, and they just stared at each other for a while, revelling in the fact that this was actually going to happen after all this time.

"Maybe we should get going," Sophia suggested sheepishly, and he nodded, the smile still glued to his face.

"Yeah."

* * *

And so Barry dropped Sophia off at her apartment, saying he would be back at 7, which was only in a few hours. So she spent the rest of the afternoon playing around with her cat who she had neglected for the last few days, leaving her with the neighbour next door when she was at work. The rest of the time was spent cleaning her apartment, and making sure that she didn't have day old coffee mugs laying around, or dirty washing for that matter. She finished this around 6pm, and then decided to take a shower, wanting to be fresh for her first date with Barry. _Oh my god_ was a repetitive thought that ran through her head all afternoon, and well into the night.

She walked out of her shower, the fog misting up the mirror. She ran her hand over the mirror, wiping away the excess steam. She looked at herself with calculating eyes as though she was inspecting herself. _No judging_ she warned herself. This was going to be a great night, she felt giddy at the prospect of spending it with Barry, and not just as friends.

She went into her room, picking out a nice shirt, and jeans, changing as fast as she could. She had taken way too long in the shower, losing track of time. He would be there in the next ten minutes.

After making sure she didn't look like a hot mess, she moved into her lounge area, setting up the couch with pillows, and some blankets. She moved the coffee table forward, placing some snacks there, not to many since Barry was grabbing take-out and she put the DVD in, waiting for him to arrive. Seconds later, he came whooshing in, taking his seat next to her on the couch and giving her a fright.

"Oh my-," She breathed out. "You think after a while, I'd get used to it," She remarked, and Barry laughed, and he couldn't get the thought that she looked absolutely adorable out of his head. The more he stared at her the more he realised how stupid he was for leaving this on hold for so long.

"So what goodies did you bring?" She asked peering into the various bags he had placed on her coffee table, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Well, I got us some Thai food, four different types of sushi-," Barry babbled on, listing the various food he brought. She looked over at him as he continued to talk, an excited grin plastered on his face. She wished she could just take a photo of this moment, and store it away in a safe place for a rainy day. She couldn't remember the last time she was this happy since the particle accelerator explosion.

"Uh, I don't think I can eat that much food Barry," She teased, "Otherwise I might get a food baby," She motioned to her stomach, that was actually quite flat, and taut due to her spending her free time in the gym and training. He rolled his eyes, moving closer to her and placing his hand on her stomach, causing butterflies to erupt. Her breath hitched in her throat, and one corner of his mouth turned up in a grin as he noticed her reaction.

"I think you're pretty good," He whispered, before leaning back and shrugging. "Besides, that means more food for me, god knows I need it."

"So what are we watching?" Barry asked casually, as he opened up the sushi, passing it to Sophia, to which she smiled gratefully squeezing a decent amount of wasabi on top, gaining a wide eye look from Barry.

"Star Wars. To be specific, Episode 4, A New Hope," Sophia announced, with a grin and chewie her cat decided to climb the edge of the sofa, jumping on her shoulder, and curling herself around the back of her neck, snuggling her head into Sophia's neck. "Chewie, I'm trying to eat." And the cat purred, moving to sit by her feet instead.

"Does this mean you're going to be ogling Han Solo the whole time?" Barry asked with a sigh, remembering the last time they had all watched Star Wars together.

"I can't help that fact that Harrison Ford is so _handsome_ ," She teased, winking, knowing it would rile Barry up. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone to ogle as well, you know like, maybe Darth Vader." Barry stuck out his tongue, and she laughed at him, reaching over the table to grab the remote, and her finger was hovering over the button, ready to press play. She looked back at him to see that he had a pout on his face at her comment, and she shook her head with mirth.

"Don't worry, Han Solo has nothing on you," She murmured, scooting over on the couch and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, her lips lingering on his skin for a second too long. With a cheeky glint in her eye, she leaned back on the couch, remaining close, feeling smug at the reaction she gained.

"Just play the movie Lang," Barry said, hoping that the dimmed lighting would disguise the blush on his cheeks.

"Your wish is my command Allen." And with that she pressed play. And so started their movie, their date, and unknowingly, a relationship that would only get better from this moment onward.

* * *

 **A/N –**

 **So, they have officially gone out on their first date! Since it was so spur of the moment and they were tired from their hard work as superheroes, it was just a casual dinner/movie but at home instead. I just thought it was nicer for them… so yeah, you'll start to see some more romance from here on out, because things are starting to get serious.**

 **So, it was Sophia's official debut as a superhero. Be excited to see some more action in regards to that, and soon! Coming at you with the next chapter is Sapphire, Central City's new knight in shining armour, ready to save the day… because let's be real, we can't let the boys have all the fun now can we?**

 **I was absolutely stunned at the reviews for the last chapter. Your kind words really made me smile, and I replied to everyone that I could via PM.**

 **Replies:**

 **Ms. O'Leary: THANK YOU SO MUCH. Your review nearly made me cry happy tears! I've pre-prepared quite a bit of this story, so it's been easy to update, but now I'm falling behind on chapters, so I need to get this writing machine going again. I'm glad that you see that in her. I really tried my best to make her independent and compassionate, and always willing to help her friends and others even if it wasn't in her power to do so. Yeah, a part of Barry's heart will always belong to Iris, but now he's realising that their relationship won't go further, with her being with Eddie and all. He's come to terms with the fact that he likes Sophia, and he wants to take a chance on her and see where this relationship could go. The fact that she knows about his powers, and is a meta like him pushes him to make the decision and just ask her out. You have literally been the only person so far to mention that little fact, and I'm so glad that you are catching onto things… in a future chapter you'll see why… she's definitely connected to Lana Lang from Kansas, but keep in mind that Lana's probably in her early 30s when this story is set, whereas Sophia is 24. Thank you for your kind words, and I'm so sorry this response is so long, but I just got excited. Hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the previous ones.**

 **Guest 1: Thank you! Hope you loved part 2!**

 **Guest 2: Thank you! Glad you liked the way she was incorporated into the chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one just as much. Everyone seemed to be eager to see angry Barry!**

 **AvengerFrost: YES, that was actually my favourite part as well. I wanted to add in some humour somewhere, and I thought it would be hilarious to add that little bit in. Glad that you liked it.**

 **Disclaimer: Sorry for all the star wars references, I just can't help myself. Also there is a disclaimer on the first chapter of this story that is in regards to the whole fic.** **#lazylucy over here.**

 **Expect the next chapter around the 23** **rd** **of Jan.**

 **Thanks for the follows/favourties/reviews. Love you guys.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	11. The Name's Sapphire

CHATPER ELEVEN

It was a new day in Central City, and that meant there was a new problem that required solving. The team had been planning a trip to go to Starling City to follow up a lead about The Boomerang, a villain who until recently, had been hiding out in Central City. Caitlin, Cisco and Barry were making the trip there to help team Arrow bag and tag the baddie, but Sophia wasn't able to get enough time off work to go with. She had been taking enough time off as it was, getting late to work even and she couldn't risk her job just to go to Starling City, when she knew the rest of the team was more than capable of catching him without her. After all, she did have bills to pay… bills that were piling up and up.

"You're missing out," Cisco mentioned as he grabbed the last few pieces of equipment he needed from Star Labs to take with him. He was way too excited to go to Starling City. Mainly because he wanted to see the Arrow Cave, and check out the sweet computer systems that Felicity kept going on about.

"Eh- I think I'll be okay for a few days without you," Sophia said, "Plus, I'll have plenty of company, Dr. Wells, Joe, Iris, and Eddie-"She started listing off a whole bunch of people on her hand, causing Cisco's face to drop.

"I get the point miss sassy pants," Cisco said with pursed lips, dumping the last piece of equipment in the back of the van.

"Ooh, that's a new one. I like it." Sophia declared as she helped him lock it up.

"So I take it that you won't be missing me, but what about Barry hmm?" Cisco mused, watching Sophia's face for a reaction. Barry and Sophia hadn't said a peep about their date only that they had been on a handful small ones, since Team Arrow had visited by a few weeks ago, and he was sort of dying to know some details. But he figured if he would get them out of anyone that it would be Barry.

"Oh, no, I won't miss him. He's far to clingy," Sophia lied teasingly, and Barry actually looked at her from across the room as he talked to Caitlin, and she wondered if he had some sort of feeling that they were talking about him. She winked and he grinned like a schoolboy, shyly turning back to Caitlin.

"So basically every second," Cisco confirmed, nodding his head in approval.

"Mmm, not perhaps every second, but maybe every minute?" She joked, with a small smile. They would only be gone a few days, which she didn't mind. She was just worried that they would get themselves into trouble in Starling City. After all they got themselves into far too much trouble in Central City, and it was meant to be the safer of the two cities, and by _a lot._

"Also, I've packed spare first aid kits, and medical supplies in the front and back of the van," Sophia told Cisco, and he smiled in thanks. Barry and Caitlin walked over to them, ready to get going. Barry was in his red suit, obviously running over to Starling City rather than driving with the dynamic duo.

"Just take care of each other over there, no fatal injuries, and no dying on any accounts," Sophia instructed sternly to them all, and they nodded with smiles on their faces.

"Well we better be heading off, after all we need the head start," Cisco announced, chuckling at his own joke. Sophia hugged both Cisco and Caitlin goodbye, seeing them off as they exited the Star Labs garage.

"So…" Barry murmured. "I'll be back in a few days, try not to miss me too much."

"I won't," Sophia said, taking one step forward.

" _Oh_ and why is that?" Barry asked, raising an eyebrow, following her actions and taking a step forward, their foreheads nearly touching as he leaned down slightly to match their height.

"Because, I've got chewie, and she's always up for cuddling, so I think I'll be okay," Sophia said softly, giving Barry a teasing smile. He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her to give her a hug. She responded immediately, her arms locking against the back of his neck, as she pulled herself closer to him, and held onto him tight, melting in his arms as she breathed in his familiar and comforting scent.

"Take care of yourself Allen, I don't want to hear that you've gone and done something stupid, like getting yourself hurt," Sophia murmured against his neck. She could feel his pulse beating from the close contact and she loved the comforting sound of the steady rhythm. She held onto him tighter, relishing in the comfort that their closeness brought.

"No promises," Barry said, reluctantly letting go of her, and before he did completely, she swooped in, placing a lingering kiss on his cheek, and if you asked him it was temptingly close to the corner of his mouth considering they hadn't even shared their first kiss yet. Slyly she moved back, sticking her hands in her pocket casually, as though she hadn't done that.

"See you soon Allen," She said with a grin as she walked backwards.

"See you, Lang." and in a flash, he disappeared, leaving her lone figure in the garage of Star Labs.

* * *

After seeing them off this morning, Sophia went down to Jitters to pick up some coffee for herself and Dr. Wells. They were going to be doing some more tests on Sophia's powers today, with the aim of improving her flight. It had now been just over a month since she discovered her powers and she was eager to get on the move, and start up a serious training regime. She wanted to be like Barry and Oliver, and even the stories she had heard of The Canary of Starling City. She wanted to be a hero that stood for justice, and protected those who couldn't protect themselves. She had always wanted to help people. That was just who she was as a person, and it was primarily the reason she had decided to become a nurse. Now having the ability to do that in a completely different way, and with a whole new meaning was just… amazing.

Yes, she had been training and practicing for a while now, but she hadn't made a serious commitment until their last encounter with Bivolo. It seemed to have opened up her eyes a bit more, and it made her more determined to succeed and reach her goals.

She walked through the door of Jitters, her flat shoes making a squeaky sound on the clean tiles.

"Sophia! What can I get for you?" Iris asked, smiling from behind the counter.

"Hey Iris, um, two tall black coffee's please, no sugar," Sophia asked, with a smile.

"Coming right up. _So,_ a little birdy told me that you and Barry went on a date, or should I say _dates_?"

"Uh, yeah well if you mean eating take-out off my couch and watching way too much Netflix, then yes, you are correct," Sophia said, biting her lip. "We've been really busy in between work and so that's all we've been able to free up enough time for."

"I'm really happy for you guys," Iris said genuinely. She was glad that Barry had finally taken her advice and gone out with Sophia. She could see that they were a good fit.

"We're not dating yet, I mean- he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend or anything- it's just, yeah," Sophia mumbled out, getting the impression that Iris thought they were a couple.

" _Well_ would you like to be his girlfriend?" Iris asked, as she passed over the coffee cup to go.

"Yes, I would." Sophia said with a small laugh.

"Well, then as soon as he gets back from Starling City, make it obvious. The guys sort of oblivious sometimes." Iris pointed out and she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he is a little bit isn't he?" Sophia replied.

"Mmm... but don't worry, I'm sure it won't be long until he asks. He really cares about you." Iris said, and Sophia blushed lightly.

"I know, and I care about him too." Iris nearly squealed at this confession.

"So you better tell me as soon as he does, because I am already planning all the double dates," Iris said, and Sophia laughed.

"I will." Sophia promised, as she looked at her watch, keeping track of the time. "I better go, before I'm late, thanks for the advice Iris."

"What are friends for?" She smiled back at her, waving goodbye as she left Jitters, feeling slightly more confident with what was going on between her and Barry after the talk with Iris.

* * *

It wasn't long til she met Dr. Wells at their training ground at the airstrip. She passed the coffee to him, Wells accepting it with a grateful smile. She felt as though their relationship had grown stronger over the last few weeks as they spent more time together. He was becoming a strong figure in her life, not only as a mentor and teacher, but as a friend, and for this she was glad. She found that Wells determination was inspirational, and the more she hung around Star Labs, the more she wanted to learn about herself, and the more she wanted to push herself.

"Today, I want you to focus on meditation with your flight. I think the reason you can't fly yet is because you don't believe that you can. Your body has all the capabilities of doing so, but it is your mind that is holding you back," Dr. Wells explained, and Sophia nodded, hoping that after today they would have made some progress.

They had been practicing for hours, most of them spent in silence as she focused on her breathing and trying to fly. She had no problem with floating, and hovering, but as soon as she made to move further, and faster into the air, and actually fly, her body seemed to shut down and collapse, falling to the ground. The feeling was similar to that of a dream. When you're trying to run away from someone chasing you, but you just move so slow, and seem to be going nowhere. It felt exactly like that, though minus the running, and with the flying.

She groaned as it happened yet again, she was going to have some bad bruises by the next morning. He had then ordered her to sit down in a comfortable position, and clear her thoughts. Meditation didn't seem to be her thing. Her mind was continuously racing with thoughts, and she couldn't focus on her powers, just the fact that this ground was so damn uncomfortable.

"Dr. Wells, It's been hours now, and there's still no progress," she said through her ear piece to Wells who was sitting by the station, monitoring her vitals and what not.

"Patience Miss Lang. Let me try talking you through it," Dr. Wells said, and she nodded.

"Stand up," he said, and she followed his orders, getting up from her crossed leg position on the ground, and standing up straight. "Close your eyes, and take a deep breath." So she complied, her eyelids fluttering closed as she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Now focus, clear your thoughts. I want you to think of one word, a word that brings you hope, a word that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. Once you've done that, keep repeating it your head, like a mantra. Believe in it, believe in yourself."

Sophia focused on the advice from Dr. Wells, and instead of thinking of one word, she thought of two. She thought of a word that would always bring her hope, and another that supported her throughout her whole life, bringing her warmth and guidance. Her mother's name, a name that she had found painful to say for the last ten years, but nonetheless, a name that made her feel loved, and supported. The other, was a name, one that had over the last few months ignited feelings of love and comfort, and most of all hope in her heart, a name that she was proud to say was _Barry_.

Her breathing was relaxed, and her mind focused. Wells watched on as Sophia slowly started to move, hovering off the ground minutely at first before moving higher, and higher. He assumed she felt this because she opened her eyes, looking around herself in awe, as she moved higher than ever before.

"I'm doing it!" She yelled, and Wells laughed in agreement.

"You're a natural Miss Lang," Dr. Wells told her, encouraging her to keep going.

Sophia nodded, feeling lighter than ever before. She willed herself to move upward, and her body shot up into the sky, moving through the wind like a speeding bullet. Soon enough she was travelling into the clouds, bringing her hands up to her face, to shield herself as she moved higher and higher into the blue sky. Fearing that she was going to high, she stopped, hovering in the sky and taking a look down, surprisingly not afraid of the height she was at.

"Woah," She said breathlessly, as she looked down at the scenery in front of her, taking the view in, piece by piece. The warm rays of sunlight weren't uncomfortable at all, instead covering her in a blanket of security. The chilly wind, gracefully flowed around her form, weaving through her hair, making it feel as light as a feather.

"How's the view up from there?" Dr. Wells asked.

"Beautiful," she breathed out, replying to him. "I can see the whole city." She stayed in the air for a little while longer, flying around, and trying to get the hang of things. She had officially taken off the training wheels on this bike, and now she was enjoying the freedom that came with riding without any barriers holding her back. Slowly she started her descent, occasionally starting and stopping like a car would as she sort of fell back down through the hair, her hair bashing against the wind furiously when she gained speed, as she descended back to the training ground. She was coming in fast, but was able to slow down enough so that when she landed, her feet skidded on the ground, easily enough staying balanced.

After landing, she ran over to Wells breathlessly, coming to sit down next to him.

"How we're my vitals holding up?" She said, before gulping down a whole bottle of water, thirsty after the vigorous training.

"Perfect actually," Wells said, surprised at how well her body was managing with the change in altitude, and atmospheric pressure as she flew higher and higher into the atmosphere.

"That's great," She said, as taking a deep breath. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without your guidance, Dr. Wells, so thank you." Sophia gave him a smile, grateful for the advice, and leadership he had provided for the team at Star Labs.

"Always a pleasure Sophia," he said, and they decided to head back to Star Labs to finalise some blood work. Sophia took a sample of her own blood, not as hard as one would expect, but then again she was an expert. After sticking it in the centrifuge, awaiting the results she decided to fiddle with the computer, monitoring the police radio chatter in Central City that morning. That's when she Star Labs had an incoming call from Joe. She answered the call, hoping everything was alright.

"Sophia, I need your help," Joe said, breathlessly, gunfire blaring in the background.

"What's happening?" Dr. Wells asked.

"There's a meta-human robbing a bank downtown, and since Barry isn't here, I need _you_ ," Joe said urgently, and they could both hear the panicked screams through the mic. Though she didn't have much field experience, Wells believe that she would be able to contain the situation, especially considering she was able to fly at this point.

"Where?" Sophia asked, without hesitating. People were going to get hurt if she didn't help.

"The corner of Bruckner Avenue," Joe replied, grunting as smashing noises ensued in the background.

"I'm on my way."

"Go, I'll direct you there," Dr. Wells ordered, and she nodded with a determination in her eyes that he hadn't seen since in a while.

Sophia ran, getting changed into her suit, and Dr. Wells suggested that she leave via the rooftop of Star Labs, as this would give her the perfect altitude she needed to get there fastest. She agreed, ready to go. _Just jump._ And with a leap of faith, she ran forward, trying to build up enough momentum, and she jumped off the edge of the rooftop of Star Labs. She was flying, faster than she ever had before, with Wells directing her through the comm. system.

"Take the next left, slightly gliding to your right after 100 metres," Dr. Wells instructed, and within no time she was there. She inspected the environment from above, spotting Joe hiding behind a car, as the meta-human walked out of the bank doors, trying to fight his way out.

He was tall, with broad shoulders that were threatening to the eye. Though he looked like he was quite large and intimidating, he didn't seem to be displaying any signs of being superior to herself in terms of abilities. She landed next to Joe, crouching beside him.

"Joe," She whispered, and he turned around, nearly having a heart attack.

"Thank god," He breathed out, looking back up, and firing a few more times before crouching back down. "Listen, you need to be careful, he's strong, like _really strong_. He ripped the goddamn vault door off with his bare hands." Joe warned, popping up from his crouched position and firing again at the Meta. The bullets seemed to bounce of his body like they were nothing.

"Right," Sophia said, as she got up from her position. Most of the small police squadron that had been called to the scene were either injured, or knocked out, only a few with Joe hiding behind their cars, as they fired from a distance.

"Hey," Sophia called out, as she moved towards him, her eyes glowing a bright blue. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The meta-human seemed to divert his attention away from the police officers- exactly what she wanted- and focused on her.

"Girly, you don't want to fight me," The Meta spat out, cracking his knuckles in front of her, and twisting his neck from side to side, trying to make his large form appear even more intimidating than before.

"Now that you called me Girly, _I kinda want to_ ," She said, glaring at him. He rushed forward, barrelling towards her, his large feet stomping on the ground as he did so, his fist moving to hit her in the face. She flew to the left, moving out of the way, causing him to trip as he was moving too fast, expecting to hit her. He growled, and she smirked, her eyes glowing bright sapphire as she blasted him with a ball of energy sending him flying backwards. His body went soaring through the air, his back slamming against the glass door of the bank. The glass shattered, sending shards sprawled all across the floor. He got back up, struggling slightly to do so, and he spat the blood that had gathered in his mouth, out onto the floor, causing Sapphire to scrunch her nose in distaste.

He attacked again, this time managing to get a hit in, his knuckles making contact with her stomach, sending her flying backward, hitting the concrete ground below hard. Her body landed against the hard ground, sending pain throughout her back. She groaned at throbbing pain, cursing the bastard. _Sure packs a punch._ He moved forward, ready to hit her again when she threw up her shield blocking him from moving forward. She sighed in relief that he was at least contained for a little while longer. But it just seemed to make the Meta angrier as he tried to get out.

"Dr. Wells, a little help would be nice right about now," She called out into her ear piece. This guy was not going down, and he had one hell of a punch.

"Try hitting him with enough energy to knock him out, not just block him," Dr. Wells suggested from the other side, not much that he could do from his end to help her out. The Meta continued to pound his knuckles on the shield, putting pressure on it as she tried to keep it up. Eventually it cracked, shattering in front of her wide eyes.

"Is that all you got _Girly_?" Her blood boiled in anger again as he said that, and she wanted to take him out even more than she had before, not just to prove herself as a hero, but to teach him a god damn lesson.

"You're gonna wish you never said that." She ran forward, electricity trailing down her arm, to her hand as she formed a hulk-sized fist made out of the cobalt energy. With all her strength and willpower, she punched the Meta in the face, the upper-cut knocking him out immediately. His large body crumbled to the ground unceremoniously, the Meta finally unconscious.

"And the names _Sapphire_." She stated, as she stood over his form, breathing heavily. She turned around to see Joe looking over at her proudly, and the other officers slowly creeping out of their hiding spots to see the criminal had been taken care off. This was one scenario that they hadn't thought they would ever have to face, but these weird occurrences seemed to be popping up rather frequently in Central City nowadays.

"Officers," She said, inclining her head towards them, and Joe nodded, with knowing eyes. She needed to take this guy back to the prison at Star Labs where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

"Come on Knuckles," She named the Meta-human, creating a bubble around his body, and levitating him up, as she flew them back to Star Labs.

Sophia was now laying on the medical bed in Star Labs as Dr. Wells ran some diagnostic tests on her. It had probably been an hour since she had brought Knuckles back, locking him in his cell downstairs. There was a feeling of accomplishment, and victory running through her veins, feeling elated that she had stopped someone who wanted to do so much harm to others. But she also felt _a lot_ of pain, and bruising. She basically ached all over, wondering how the hell Barry did this on a daily basis. She was sure that it helped that he had accelerated healing, unlike her who would probably have these for the next week until they started to fade, but she knew that it would take a lot of willpower to endure such pain, and then subject yourself to it time after time just to help other people. She found that after this experience she admired Barry even more than she did before, _if that was even possible_ she thought. There was an ugly purple bruise covering most of her abdomen, and every time she moved it burned, so she tried to lay still like a statue, pretending that she was absolutely fine.

Dr. Wells had given her some morphine to relieve the pain, but she still felt like absolute death.

"Congratulations Miss Lang, your efforts today were beyond extraordinary." Dr. Wells commended.

"I certainly don't feel extraordinary," She managed to squeak out, as she tried to sit up, one hand holding on the bed for support, and the other firmly pressed on the bandage that was around her torso.

"Perks of being a hero," Joe said as he walked into the cortex, surprising Sophia as she turned her head around to see him walking in.

"I guess so," She smiled softly at the thought.

"What you did today was amazing, not to mention brave. My officers and I are still in one piece thanks to you," Joe said, and the sincerity in his voice warmed Sophia's heart, making her feel like she could actually make a difference.

"So who was he?" Sophia asked, as Joe helped her up into a standing positon.

"Finnegan Packer, he escaped from Iron Heights a month ago, after discovering that he had super strength. He's kept quiet ever since, trying to lay low, well that is until today," Wells explained, pulling up his police records and files onto the screen so they could all see.

"Well he sure packer'd a punch," Sophia chuckled at her lame pun, and then groaned in pain. "Ugh, too soon." She said shaking her head as Joe laughed, "I _always_ speak too soon."

"Thanks to you, he won't be hurting anyone for a long time." Her phone beeped a second later, indicating she had a message, and she closed her eyes, really not wanting to see it. All she wanted to do was go home, and collapse on her couch, snuggling up to her cat since Barry was out of town. They had all agreed that they would inform the team of their victory today once they had arrived back safe from Starling City, not wanting them to lose focus on their current mission. Reluctantly she pulled out her phone and checked, seeing a message from Brian. _Oh how I hate thee._

"Speaking of Iron Heights. I start a shift there in a half hour," She informed the two men standing in front of her. "Mind giving me a lift there Joe? I'm so not in the right mindset to be behind the wheel right now."

"No worries sweetheart," Joe said, and they greeted Dr. Well's goodbye, Joe dropping her off at Iron Heights for her shift after the small pit stop at her apartment. Her shift at Iron Heights had been relatively normal- well as normal as a shift could be at a high alert prison. The usual screaming and yelling from the mentally ill prisoners had occurred, including the very interesting yet slightly creepy death threats from the other psychopaths left to rot in here for life. The only normal one being Henry Allen, who she left til last on her list, giving her some sanity to look forward too. It was nearing 7pm when she had reached him.

"Mr Allen," She greeted him with a smile as the guard escorted him into the little room that she was working out of.

"Sophia, it's nice to see a familiar face," Henry replied with a small smile of his own.

"It's that time again," She said, and he rolled his sleeves up automatically, the guards standing by against the door, even though they knew Henry wouldn't do anything. Sophia got out her equipment, prepping the needle as she wiped the skin with an alcohol wipe, feeling for his vein before piercing his skin with the needle and drawing up the three vials of blood needed for the blood tests the hospital was going to run for him.

"How are you feeling today?" Sophia asked, as she filled out the correct information on the vials of blood, placing them in a zip-lock bag with his name on it.

"Good, not that I can complain really," Henry said, rolling the sleeve of his jumpsuit back down.

"Well- that's sort of good to hear." Sophia said as she laughed lightly, trying to boost his spirits, even though it wasn't a very likely possibility. It was silent for a few minutes as she did her normal routinely checks to make sure everything was normal. She was glad to see that his sprained wrist from last month was completely healed, and not causing him any issues.

"Barry told me that you two are dating now," Henry mentioned, and at this her head shot right up, slightly embarrassed that Barry had told his dad that they were dating, when he hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend yet-officially speaking.

"Uh," She gulped, pushing a curl behind her ear as she paused her work. "Yeah, I guess we are," She smiled, biting her lip. "I-is that alright?" She asked hesitantly, unsure if he approved of her for his son or not.

"Of course honey, it's more than fine. I'm honestly so happy for you both," Henry said, a genuine smile coming to his face, and she wanted to cry at how kind he was. She swore she was going to do everything in her power to help Barry get him out of this horrendous place. He had been here for too long, and it was unfair.

"Thank you," She said, throwing a shy smile his way.

"No, _thank_ you. I'm so glad to see Barry is finally moving on with his life, and you're helping him do that, so thank you." He said, wanted to give him a hug so badly, but unfortunately this was the way things had to be.

"No need to thank me, I'm here because I care about him, and he makes me happy." Sophia said, before saying goodbye, the guards shortly escorting him back to his cell.

* * *

It wasn't long before she had caught a cab home, taking a long hot shower to relieve the pain she had in her torso, and lower back. The bruising had started to colour, a deep sea of purple and blue hues, but she knew that by tomorrow morning there would be another bit of ugly green and yellow to match. She wrapped herself up in the bandage again, across her abdomen where she had bruised, applying a cream beforehand that would relieve her of some of the aching sensations that the hit had caused. The steam relaxed her muscles and her mind, and she was so ready to get into bed and crash, but her stomach was growling, hungry for food that she hadn't eaten all day. As she was deciding what to order, stuck between dumplings and noodles- or just getting both- she got a call from Joe.

She picked up the phone, placing it between her ear and shoulder to hold it as her other hands were occupied with a Chinese take-out menu. She would always order this sort of food when she was missing her family, the food reminding her of the days when her mother would make her grandmothers secret recipe on a cold Sunday afternoon to warm her up, making sure to adhere to her father's pointers, after all, it was his area of expertise.

"Hey Joe, what's up?" Sophia asked, popping the 'p'.

"T-The man in yellow… h-he was just in my house," Joe's shaky voice rushed out.

"What the fu-," Sophia said, dropping her phone in the process. She scrambled to pick it up and put it back to her ear, anxiety pounding in her chest.

"A-are you okay?!" Sophia asked urgently, "Did he hurt you?"

"N-No, I'm fine,-."

"I'm coming over, I'll be there in a few minutes," She said, cutting off Joe. The drama of Central City was never ending today. And this was drama that she knew she couldn't handle by herself.

"No, it's okay-."

And she cut him off again. "No Joe, it's not okay," Sophia exhaled. "I'll be there soon. Hold tight."

She slipped on her running shoes, and threw on some appropriate clothes, making sure Chewie had enough water and food set out for her before locking up. She climbed up the steps to the rooftop of her apartment building two by two. Reaching the rooftop, she looked out, making sure that no one was about, or could see her visibly before flying out in the direction of the west house-hold in the hopes that Joe was alright. She arrived a few minutes later, accidentally crashing in his front garden. She seriously needed to get a hang of the whole flying thing it was really either a hit or miss. She wrapped her knuckles on Joe's front door, anxiously waiting for him to answer, and swatting the leaves out of her hair that had gotten stuck from her crash landing.

The wooden door swung open a few seconds later, and Sophia sighed in relief, seeing that Joe was in one piece. She immediately pulled him into a tight hug, relieved to see that he wasn't hurt.

"You didn't have to come over you know," Joe said, and she could tell that he was still distressed. She walked in the house, to see some of the furniture turned over, and a photo of Iris on the wall with a knife through her forehead. Sophia visibly paled, and her breath hitched as she saw what the man in yellow did. She stared at it for a few moments breathing heavily as she did so, anger so clearly written on her face. She turned to Joe who was mimicking her actions, staring at the photo with a clenched jaw.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, concerned for his wellbeing.

"Physically, No. Emotionally, yeah." Joe admitted, moving to sit down on a chair in the kitchen. Sophia walked over to his sink, grabbing a clean glass from the cupboard and filling it up with water and taking it over to him.

"Drink some water, it'll help, you're still in shock." Sophia said, as she examined Joe as he drank his water, counting his respiratory rate and examining his awareness at the same time. He was fine on the outside, but whatever the man in yellow said to him had him shaken up, and bad.

"I won't ask what he wanted, or what he said," Sophia started off slowly, Joe looking up at her as she spoke. "But I will ask that you tell Barry when he gets back. He _needs_ to know. He needs to know that he's back in town," Sophia said, running a hand through her hair.

"I can't tell him, h-he said he would hurt Iris if I did." Joe said, curling the hand sitting on his lap into a fist. The man in yellow had also said a few things about hurting Sophia too, but he didn't want to worry her, so he kept quiet about it.

Sophia looked back over at the photo with the knife stuck in it, and took a deep breath. "Alright," Sophia sighed, "It's your daughter, so it's your call." She said, and Joe visibly relaxed, the stress on his shoulders now lessened slightly.

"Thank you."

" _But_ I'm staying over. I'm not going to leave you here alone, unprotected while that murderer is running around Central City, at least not until Barry gets back," Sophia said adamantly. Joe pursed his lips, nodding reluctantly, knowing that Sophia was as stubborn as Iris, and once they made up their minds, there was no going back.

"Alright, but at least stay in Barry's old room, I don't want you sleeping on the couch after the day you've had." Joe offered, and she nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you go to bed, I'll clean up this mess," Sophia said, and Joe was about to protest, but she held up her hand, "You need the rest Joe," and he still didn't budge from his seat, "As your nurse, and your guard for the night, I would appreciate it if you went and got some sleep. Come on, you've had a long day." Sophia said, pushing Joe towards the staircase, and he sighed nodding his head.

"Thank you Sophia," He said giving her a hug.

"No worries Joe."

And with that Joe was off to bed to get some much needed rest. Sophia sighed, looking at the mess around the house before rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. She moved all the furniture back in place first, then cleaned up after a shattered vase in the corner of the room. She then moved onto re-organising the frames that had been swept out of place, removing the knife from the photo of Iris that had been stabbed into the wall. She ran her fingers over the mark on the wall now, frowning at the scar that had been left. She placed a large frame of Barry, Iris and Joe in front of it, effectively covering up the mark. She smiled at herself, proud that she had cleaned everything up, the place looking relatively back to normal.

It was nearing midnight, and Sophia's muscles were beyond aching. She turned the lights off downstairs, and walked upstairs into the first room on the left, which Joe said was Barry's. Slipped her shoes off in the dark, taking off her hoddie, leaving her in a long sleeved tee, and shorts as she climbed into Barry's old bed. She snuggled into the pillow, taking a deep breath smiling contently as she realised it still smelled like Barry. It wasn't long til she fell asleep, the warmth of his blanket comforting her as she drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Sophia was sleeping soundly when she heard a noise in the room. She ignored it, snuggling further into the pillow, enjoying the uninterrupted sleep she had gotten in the last few hours of the night. She had woken up and checked on Joe on the house at 3am, worried that something had happened after the man in yellow's visit, but everything was normal.

So there she lay, sleeping soundly when she felt a warm sensation on her cheek, slightly ticklish as well. She ignored it again, figuring it was chewie, her brain not currently registering she wasn't at home in her sleepy state for a moment. She lightly swatted whatever was there away, only to feel it return again, this time on the other side of her face, and a light chuckle to match. She yawned, turning over and opening her eyes to see what was happening when she came face to face with the one and only Barry Allen. She nearly screamed, not expecting him to be there, instead just pulled the blanket higher on her face to hide her embarrassment causing Barry to laugh even harder than he was before.

"Oh my god," She slurred sleepily through the blanket. " _Go away_."

"Morning sleeping beauty," Barry called out with a laugh, plopping down on the side of his bed, throwing an arm around Sophia and hugging her form.

"Mmm," Sophia hummed, as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes under the safety of the blanket.

"So I take it you missed me _a lot_ since you had a little sleepover and all," Barry teased, as he pulled the blanket down, grinning as he saw her sleepy face. He couldn't help but think her bed hair was funny, most of her hair messed up, something he wasn't used to seeing.

"It's a long story," Sophia mumbled, trying to sit up, and groaning in pain as she did so, forgetting the giant bruise that had now found its home on her stomach.

"Woah, you alright?" Barry said, concerned at the expression of pain written upon her face.

"Fine, just the perks of being a superhero right?" She joked, and he helped her sit up, raising an eye brow at her comment.

"There was a meta-human problem downtown at a bank yesterday. A strong meta-human, but I handled it." Sophia said, trying to reassure Barry and his eyes went wide.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Barry asked, inspecting her for any injuries, causing her to laugh at his protectiveness. _God you're so cute_ she thought. She pulled her shirt up slightly, showing him the bandage, which covered most of the bruise, something she was thankful for.

"Just a _very_ bruised abdomen, and a sore back, but other than that, I'm fine." Sophia said, looking at Barry's face, before realising that he had only been gone for a day.

"Weren't you meant to be in Starling City til Friday?" She asked, yawning slightly and he nodded.

"We were, but we managed to finish up earlier than expected, plus it's halfway into the afternoon," Barry explained, placing an arm around her shoulder, her eyes widening at his mention that she had basically slept through the whole day. "Guess I had something I was looking forward to coming home to," Barry said slyly causing Sophia to blush.

"Really?" She asked shyly, a small grin making its way onto her face. As Barry looked at her he couldn't help but bite his lip, thinking it was absolutely adorable.

" _Yeah_."

"Speaking of _that_ , why does your father think we're dating?" she asked cheekily, ruining the moment, and she nearly laughed at Barry's expression, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"I-I just said w-we went on a few dates…" He gulped, as she gave him a cheeky grin.

"Really now? Because he seems to think that we're a couple…" Sophia trailed off, clearly enjoying taking the mickey out of him.

"W-well, do you want to be? A couple that is?" She could see Barry visibly restrain himself from panicking, and she didn't know why he was so nervous to ask her this question when she felt like it was more than obvious about how she felt about him.

"Yes," She answered honestly, figuring she had teased him enough for one morning. The look he was giving her made her heart want to leap out of her chest. She was so thankful for bumping into the crazy life that surrounded Barry Allen, and she wouldn't change it for the world. Barry moved in closer, and she followed in suit, his eyes closing shut as their noses brushed when she put a finger on his lips, causing him to look at her afraid this wasn't what she wanted.

"I have morning breath," She whispered, hating that she had to ruin the moment, but she didn't want wreck their first kiss. He laughed, and she could feel the rumble of his chest underneath her fingertips, slightly smacking his shoulder, calming him down as he continued to be amused by her comment. He stopped laughing, the smile still firmly planted on his face as he looked at her with a heated expression that made her blush under his gaze.

"I don't care," he murmured softly, firmly planting his hands on either side of her face before leaning down, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Sophia responded instinctively, one hand on his chest, and the other threading through his oh so soft hair. All she could think about was the softness of his lips, and the way they felt on her own as they moved firmly against each other. The butterflies that erupted in her stomach as they held each other closer were welcomed, and she was sure there was no other feeling like it. They broke apart a few moments later, breathless as they stayed in close contact, their faces so close she could feel his breath fanning over her cheeks.

"I was wondering if you'd ever get around to doing that," Sophia admitted, surprising Barry, causing his grin to grow even larger, if that was possible.

"No need to wonder anymore," Barry promised, moving back in to capture her lips in another kiss.

* * *

It was a few hours later that both Barry and Sophia were at Star Labs. Sophia had lied, about why she stayed over, giving Joe a small smile, as she promised to keep the true events of last night hidden from Barry _for now._ She had made it clear to Joe while Barry was gone that he needed to tell Barry soon, because it wasn't safe to keep him in the dark with the man in yellow back in Central City.

They were discussing the events of yesterday when Barry got an alert that Iris had made a blog post about 'Sapphire' the super-hero that had saved her dad's squadron and had stopped the meta-human at the bank, saving countless lives. She blushed at the beautifully written description that Iris had painted about her. Sophia was lounging on two chairs, her legs lifted up onto another a warm blanket draped on her legs as she recounted the story from her point of view, to Caitlin, Cisco and Barry not wanting to repeat it more than once. Dr. Wells spoke of her progress with her powers, now being able to fly, causing them all to cheer for her, laughing as they shared proud looks. Wells then announced that he was needed elsewhere at the present time, which made her eye him suspiciously, wondering where he could be going, but then ignored that feeling, pushing it away as she focused back on the conversation with her friends.

"So I created a giant fist made completely out of electrical energy, and knocked him out," Sophia described, using hand gestures to show what she meant, and Barry stared at her from across the room, a smile on his face as he watched her recount the events.

"So what did you name him?" Cisco asked, curious as he popped a few skittles into his mouth. _This kid was always snacking._ Then again, who was she to judge, she was popping pieces of her favourite Willy Wonka lollies in her mouth when no one was looking, though she was sure Barry had caught onto her secret about ten minutes ago, judging by the rush of wind that suddenly came through a windowless room- that and she saw him throw a sweet in his mouth, playfully grinning at her, admitting he stole a few when he winked at her, sticking his tongue out to show that it was tinted purple.

"Knuckles." Sophia stated, softly, knowing that Cisco wouldn't approve. Cisco didn't hear and asked her to speak up. "Knuckles." She said louder this time, and Cisco nearly choked on his lollies.

"Knuckles. _Really_?!" Cisco nearly yelled, offended that she came up with such a bad name. " _This_ is why I'm in charge of the names around here."

"Okay, so _sue me_ , I'm not good with the nicknames," Sophia said, sulking as she crossed her arms, causing Caitlin and Barry to laugh at the two arguing.

"God save us," Cisco said, and Sophia glared at him with glowing eyes, causing him to purse his lips. Cisco sighed, "But since you so _impressively_ took this one out on your own, I'll let it slide."

"Whatever," Sophia huffed, "So what happened in Starling City? No one got hurt right?" Sophia asked, leaning forward, and looking over at them all. They all stared at each other with wide eyes, Cisco responding first.

"Ha ha," Cisco laughed, and Barry cringed, knowing that they had basically failed to do exactly that.

"Not exactly." And then they recounted their story, from the beginning, explaining how basically a lot of people ended up getting hurt. Then moving onto how Diggle's ex-wife at the time, but now fiancé, nearly died from being hit by a boomerang causing Sophia to gasp in shock and shake her head in disapproval.

The rest of the day was spent lounging with the team, Sophia enjoying the company of her two friends, and her boyfriend- to which both Caitlin and Cisco nearly had heart attacks when finding out, interrogating the two a bit too much now that they had officially labelled their relationship. Barry's reaction was to sweep Sophia off her feet, whizzing the both of them back to her apartment where they escaped Caitlin and Cisco's grilling, enjoying each other's company for the rest of the day, thankful for the happiness in their lives… after all a storm was coming, but they didn't know it yet.

 **A/N: FIRST KISS. #awww**

 **I think this was again one of my favourite chapters to write. Just because we get to Sophia kick some ass on her own and prove that she is her own hero, and she is a good one at that. Loved writing the interaction between her and Joe, building up their relationship even more.**

 **Likewise there was some more character development between her and Wells which was good.**

 **I feel like Barry saw Sophia in a new light towards the end of this chapter. Seeing her bravery and nonchalance with her first meta-take down on her own was inspiring and he couldn't be more proud of her.**

 **Thank you to all the new favourites and follows. Also, massive thanks to the reviewers and the audience. This story is nothing without you guys. So keep those reviews pumping, the more the better, and the fasted you'll get updates. ;)**

 **Thanks to highlander348, PrincessMagic, Ms. O'Leary, Natalie, Kindleflame5 and shadowhunters12 for the reviews on the last chapter.**

 **Replies:**

 **Ms. O'leary: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, considering that she takes flight. Yeah, considering that Diggle wasn't in the episode that much anyway, I couldn't find somewhere to sneak him in, but I will try and get him in next time there is a collab with team flash for sure! Yes, you are on the right track in terms of her relations to Lana, but not to worry, that will all come to light in later chapters, no focus on it at this current moment in time. I guess you'll have to wait and see. Sophia does go up against her own enemies and villains, but I haven't as of yet, created her archenemy, but at the moment, she does have the same vengeance against all of Barry's enemies as you can tell, since they're a team working together. In upcoming chapters she will meet Anna again, and there will be interactions with Clark Kent aka Superman, so be excited for that. YES, of course, she'll definitely be a part of it. Thank you for the review, it seriously made me smile. Xx**

 **Natalie: Thank you so much! As soon as you mentioned this, I thought, man, wouldn't that be so cool. I shall be writing that down and may use it in the future. Sounds like it would be an interesting affair for sure. Hope you enjoyed Sophia kicking butt in this chapter. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. xx**

 **Special mention to AquaRoseWaters, dhnysports88, thinkpink808, horesemadgirl, rantuff, jessieandy, xLoverX, redrosebird, Aria868, Immortalmamn18, NeedtoRead10, bookloverbookworm and gracieann for the favourites and the follows!**

 **WE'VE NEARLY HIT 70 FOLLOWS. #exciting and therefore update, a day early!**

 **Love Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	12. Let It Snow

CHAPTER TWELVE

 _Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow._

It was Christmas Eve, but Sophia was spending her last few hours before Christmas working at the hospital. Even though she was bummed that she couldn't spend most of it celebrating, she felt sad for all the sick kids at the hospital, who were stuck inside for Christmas, and plenty of them, not in good shape. Sophia wasn't actually on call today, but she went in to finish up the decorating, taking the job off her managers hands who was currently pregnant and in desperate need of some rest. So she had planned a little surprise with the hospital board for the kids, getting them all some candy canes, and little gifts that they could afford with what little money they were able to use, collected from donations. She tried her best to make it fun and exciting for them, boosting their spirits during a time that usually had them down because they couldn't be at home.

There were three different types of golden, crimson, and emerald tinsel hanging around the wards, colourful Christmas decorations spread all around to give that festive vibe. She had also managed to find a set of old classic Christmas tunes that she donated to the hospital, playing them on repeat, giving the kids some Christmas cheer when they needed it most.

"Thank you nurse Sophia," Little Georgie said as she sat in her wheelchair, in a circle with the other kids during their play time. They were playing with a new set of cards that one of the kids had gotten as an early Christmas present, quite a few of them waiting for their parents to arrive before moving back to their own rooms.

"You're very welcome Georgie," She replied, with a beaming smile as leaned against the door, glad the kids were enjoying themselves as much as they could in their situation.

It was a moment later, that there was a flash of light, and just outside their windows, there was a big banner that said "MERRY CHRISTMAS" in the biggest and brightest colours, and then a second later, there were balloons in the hands of each patient, with their names written on them in sparkly glitter, coloured in red and gold, and to the side a plate of freshly baked cinnamon cookies. Sophia's eyes went wide, and she bit her lip trying to contain the grin that was bound to break on her face.

Laughter and excitement echoed throughout the room as the kids bounced around in excitement, and wonder at how it had all happened. The giggled, and cheered as the cookies were passed around, and they played with their balloons, admiring the personalised gifts, whilst some ran over to the window to view the big banner hanging in front.

 _Barry you sweetheart_ she sighed as her phone beeped. She saw another nurse run over to her.

"Sophia, I don't know how you pulled this off," The older lady had said, and Sophia laughed gleefully, "Merry Christmas." She replied before walking out of the room, leaving the kids in the capable hands of Mary as she ran to her regular rendezvous point. She ran to her locker, grabbing the neatly wrapped box with Barry's name on it before bounding up the stairs, two by two until she reached the rooftop of the hospital.

"That was quite something back there, thank you," Sophia commented as she walked up to Barry who was slowly removing his mask. She could feel her stomach erupt into chaos, the fluttery feeling spreading throughout her body from her toes to her fingertips. She would never tell Barry, but she thought that he looked the most handsome when he was in his suit, but kept his mask off. Maybe it was the way his hair was effortlessly ruffled by the mask, or it was the way the red complimented him so well. Honestly she didn't care, she just loved to look at him in this state.

He rushed over to her in a second, from the other side of the rooftop, placing his arms around her waist as he lifted her up, spinning her around, and causing her to giggle like a little kid as she tried to hold onto him as tight as possible. He slowed them down, and held her close, coming to a stop with her forehead resting against his.

"Someone's in a good mood," She mentioned, not even trying to hide the grin on her face.

"I'm always in a good mood when I get to see you," Barry told her as he closed the gap, placing a soft kiss on her lips and she sighed into the kiss, relaxing under his gentle touch.

"You're such a goof ball you know that right?" She teased, returning they gesture, smiling into the kiss.

"I know," Barry said, placing her down on her feet, shrugging as he continued, "But I'm your goof ball." She laughed, and the sound of her melodious laughter made his heart soar. "So, I know it's a bit early, but I wanted to give you your Christmas gift," Barry said, pulling out a small box, from god knows where, but she decided not to question it and just go along.

"You didn't have to get me anything Barry," Sophia said softly, and Barry just gave her a look before motioning down to the second box she had in her hand that had his name on it.

"Just like you didn't have to get me a gift right?" He said cheekily and she nodded as they swapped gifts.

"Open on the count of three?" They nodded in agreement.

"1, 2, 3." And of course Barry had it open before she could even register, using his super speed to unwrap the gift. He froze as he looked at the gift in his hands, looking up at her with teary eyes, unable to comprehend how large her heart was.

"How on earth did you find this?" Barry said as he looked at the pocket watch in his hands.

"With a little help from Joe and Henry, I was able to find it, _how_ I won't say… just that it took a very long time."

"It was my Moms, her father gave it to her when she turned 18. I-I haven't seen in years, I thought it was lost," Barry breathed out, as he looked at the faded silver pocket watch, that when opened was still ticking.

"I-I'm sorry if it brought up bad memories," She said quickly, doubting that it was a good idea to get this for Barry.

"No- it's perfect, thank you." Barry protested, laughing. "You continue to surprise me every day."

"I hope that's a good thing," Sophia joked with a smile.

"It is." Barry shook his head, and motioned to the box in her hand. "Your turn now."

Sophia nodded, opening the small box in her hands, wondering what it could be. She pulled apart the red bow, giving Barry a sly look as she noticed the colour theme that seemed to be going on here, as the bow matched the red box. He just shrugged, and she unravelled the gift, gasping as she saw the beautiful sapphire necklace that sat in the box.

"I-I, _wow_. This is- wow." She mumbled out in shock, speechless. The necklace was beautifully crafted, and she couldn't believe Barry had gotten her such a beautiful gift. "It's stunning, I love it." She said, thanking him.

"Would you do me the honour?" She requested, holding up the delicate necklace. He nodded as she turned around, lifting her hair up, and pushing it to the side, exposing the back of her neck for Barry to put the necklace on. She could feel his cool breath on her neck as he secured the piece of jewellery around her neck. She turned back around, fixing her hair, and admiring the beautiful stone that hung off a delicate silver chain.

"How does it look?" she asked as she looked down, her eyes fixed on the sparkly stone resting just above her chest.

"Stunning," Barry said, stepping closer to her, so that when she looked up, his neck was directly in front of her face, causing her to snort and look up. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, surprising Sophia completely. Though she was caught off guard, she responded promptly, her hands gliding across his chest, moving up to link themselves around his neck. Barry's hands gripped her hips, pulling her close to him, leaving no room left between their bodies, as they continued to kiss feverishly. Of all of their kisses together, this had definitely been the newest experience. Usually Barry's kisses were soft, gentle and supple, and this- oh this was entirely new territory. This was electric, energetic and passionate, and Sophia was enjoying every second, that _was_ until her phone started beeping in her pocket.

She unwillingly broke apart from Barry, trying to steady her breathing, as she fumbled for her phone in the pocket of her scrubs. She nearly groaned, when she saw the message.

"I'm need back downstairs." She mumbled, her head resting on his chest.

"Go, on then." He laughed, knowing that she didn't want to. He didn't want her to either, but they didn't have much of a choice, plus he was meant to be at the CCPD like ten minutes ago, so he was already late.

"Maybe I don't want to," She whinged, locking her arms back around his neck.

"Well you kind of have to." And she groaned, pulling him down for one last kiss before she turned around, throwing him a smile as she got back to work. He stood there for a moment, staring at with a love struck expression as her form disappeared back downstairs, and he couldn't believe that he was so lucky. He thought that after Iris, he wouldn't be able to find someone else but he guessed that was the beautiful thing about the future, nothing was written in stone.

* * *

It was a little while later that Joe had contacted Barry, requiring him down at a crime scene from the previous night. That's how he ended up standing at Mercury Labs, examining the murders of the night guards at the Science Institution, and wondering if this had occurred at the hands of a meta-human. He had a camera in his hands as he bent down as close as he could to the blood splatters on the floor, taking photos to examine later. There was a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he knew that something here was not right.

The shutter went off, capturing the photo as Joe approached Barry from behind.

"Hey. What are you thinking?" Joe asked, as Barry stood back up, standing in the middle of the room.

"The blood splatter patterns and trajectory of the remains," Barry sighed as he pointed to them both, at nearly opposite sides of the rooms, "only a high-speed collision could have done this," Barry concluded, his worst fears coming to light as he realised the only person that could have done this was The Man in Yellow. "But to cause this type of damage to a human in this space? Whatever hit them would have to be moving fast."

"Get this." Eddie said, walking towards Barry and Joe with his notepad, "The witness says all he saw was a blur." Eddie pointed out, causing Barry and Joe to share a look of distress. "Sound familiar?"

Barry and Joe walked up to the witness, figuring they would ask a few more questions.

"You saw a blur? What was it?" Barry asked the witness, who looked visibly shaken up.

"Whatever it was, it was looking for something."

"What did it look like?" Barry's voice was urgent and laced with panic, unsure if he was going to like the answer or not. He could feel the anxiety building up inside of him. He knew that if it was _him_ , this was going to make everything a hell of a lot more complicated.

"A man in some kind of yellow suit." And at that confirmation, Barry's blood ran cold.

"Okay." He said, and walked away from the witness with Joe hot on his trail.

"Barry, listen," Joe explained, trying to stop Barry as he walked off, worried what he would do next.

"I have to check my files," Barry protested, ignoring 's mind was racing, his heart pounding and his emotions clouding his judgement.

"Joe, you heard him, all right?! The man that killed my mom, he's back." Barry nearly yelled, and for all the joy that this morning had given him, it had all been replaced with fear, and anger.

"I know. He's been in town for a few weeks now." Joe finally admitted, realising that he should have mentioned it to him sooner, following Sophia's advice. "He took all the evidence from your mom's case. The files are gone." At this Barry gasped, with wide eyes. Those files were the only copy, the only pieces of evidence that he had to help him put together a case for his dad, and now they were gone.

"Why wouldn't you tell me this sooner?!" Barry nearly whispered furiously, trying to keep his voice down. Those files were the only thing standing between freeing his father… the legal way.

"I couldn't," Joe choked out.

"Why?" Barry questioned again, his pursuit for the truth relentless at this point.

"Because he threatened to kill Iris. Not only that, he knows that Sophia is _like_ you, and he threatened her as well," Joe explained cautiously, knowing that mentioning both of their names would be enough to make him run in blind with anger. "He said if we didn't back off that he'd rip her heart out," Joe finished hesitantly.

Barry clenched his jaw at Joe's words trying to keep his cool. Anger bubbled up inside of him, and he clenched his hand into a fist, furious that those words had ever been spoken, let alone thought about. They needed to catch The Man in Yellow, and they needed to do it fast before he slipped through his fingers... yet again.

"I need to have a meeting at Star Labs with everyone, that's the only way to get a lead," Barry said to Joe and he nodded, leaving it to Barry for now.

* * *

Gathered at Star Labs was the entire team, all of them being called in to come up with a plan to stop The Man in Yellow.

"The witness described seeing a yellow blur just like the one that killed Barry's mother," Joe explained to the team, and Sophia who was seated next to Barry heard the sharp intake of his breath. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he was feeling right now. She slipped her hand into his, her fingers intertwining with his, giving a light squeeze to show her support. Barry looked over at her at the contact, and tried to give her a light smile, thankful for her support. But every time he looked at her, he remembered Joe's words, his warning. He promised himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Then we need to get cracking and stop this speed psycho," Cisco said from his seat, and then after receiving a few pointed looks from both Caitlin and Joe he defended himself. "That-I wasn't trying to give him a name."

"The crime scene at Mercury Labs was on a floor with highly secured vaults, and the witness said he was looking for something." Barry said, as Cisco pulled up the plans for Mercury Labs building, examining the security they had there.

"Whatever it was, he wanted it badly enough to kill for it."

"Doctor, what do you know about this Mercury Labs?" Joe asked, crossing his arms. He wanted to know more about Mercury Labs in the hope that it would help them figure out what The Man in Yellow could have wanted.

"Mercury was one of Star Labs major competitors until our little setback, and then it catapulted to the forefront led by Dr. Christina McGee," Wells explained, "Brilliant, but egocentric physicist."

"It says here Dr. McGee has secured half a billion dollars in private funding to develop, and I quote "Prototypes for the technology of the future."

"Well, I'll be," Dr. Wells breathed out, "Tina's messing with tachyons, superluminal particles,"

"Of course." Joe said, as though that was so obvious, which caused Sophia to look over at him empathetically, understanding what he was going through. She had no idea what Wells was talking about right now. "So what could someone do with one of those…?" Joe trailed off, unsure of how to even pronounce the word.

"Tachyons." Wells finished for him.

"Thank you."

"Well, I don't know," Wells started off. "Become invincible? If you could devise a matrix stable enough to harness their power, you could travel faster than light." This comment put everyone on edge, not wanting to find out what would be possible if he got his hands on it.

"He's gonna try and get them again, so we need to get what Mercury has and use it as a lure." Barry suggested, and Joe nodded in agreement.

"Exactly right."

"Cisco, Caitlin, Sophia, let's start engineering a trap." Dr. Wells proposed.

"Me?" Sophia asked, unsure of how she could be of help in this instance. She wasn't that well versed in engineering, or any of the physics that they would be using in this matter.

"You got it," Cisco replied to Wells, gathering his tablet as they spoke.

"Of course." Caitlin responded. "With your ability to create energy shields, we may be able to harness your power to make an impenetrable cage to catch our villain," Caitlin explained, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

" _Oh,_ right." Sophia nodded, but before she left she needed to speak to Barry. She knew that Joe had been visited by The Man in Yellow a few weeks ago, and she need to apologise for keeping it a secret. She thought that Joe would have told Barry by now, on his own terms, especially considering that Iris had been the one that was threatened, but evidently, he hadn't. And now, now she felt guilty that she had kept it a secret from Barry… it wasn't the best way to start off their relationship.

"Mind if I steal you for a moment?" She asked Barry and he shook his head. Sophia told Cisco and Caitlin that she would be down shortly. He then grabbed her hand and they moved out of the cortex, and to somewhere more private to have their conversation.

"What's up?" Barry asked, noticing the worried expression on her face.

"I knew that The Man in Yellow was back in town, and I didn't tell you," Sophia said meekly, praying that he wouldn't overreact with the news. But she knew that was stupid, and he probably would, and she wouldn't blame him.

"What?!" Barry exclaimed, confused as to why she would keep it a secret. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, Joe said that if we told anyone that Iris would get hurt, and I left the decision in his hands. It wasn't my life at stake, so I couldn't say anything," Sophia explained softly, trying to make things clear.

Barry just kept thinking how wrong it all was. She hadn't even known that her own life was on the line, that The Man in Yellow hadn't just threatened Iris, but herself as well.

"Joe told me this morning, but it wasn't just Iris that was in danger. It was you as well," Barry said. He didn't want to keep the cycle of secrets going, so he was honest with her.

"Me?" She questioned with a furrowed brow. "That doesn't make sense."

"He threatened both of you. Joe didn't say anything because he didn't want to worry you,"

"Oh," Sophia breathed out, unsure of what to say. That was certainly not the turn she expected this conversation to take. "What did he say?"

"I don't want to repeat it," Barry said with a clenched jaw. No matter how annoyed he was at Joe and Sophia for keeping it a secret, he sort of understood why they did it once he removed all of his personal anger from the situation.

"I want to know," She said with a straight face, staring Barry down. There was really no easy way to say it, and he didn't want the words to even be uttered, let alone those words haunt her thoughts for god knows how long, because he knew her well enough to know that she would keep thinking about it.

"He said he would rip your heart out if we kept investigating my mom's death," Barry said, placing a hand on her shoulder as he watched her face visibly drop.

"Great," Sophia deadpanned. "I'm still sorry that I kept it from you."

"I don't blame you," Barry said and she sighed in relief. He abruptly pulled her into a hug, making her gasp in surprise. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Not that I'm complaining but-," She was cut off before she could say anything more.

"I won't let him hurt you, I promise," Barry vowed, and a part of the weight on her shoulders was released, and she felt more relaxed than before. She had been worried that he wouldn't have appreciated Joe and herself keeping it a secret, but she knew that the care he had for his family outweighed the anger.

"I know. And I promise I won't let him hurt you either," She told him as they broke apart and he cracked a smile, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before they parted ways, each moving to play their part in the trap, both just glad that they had cleared the air, and were ready to fix things.

* * *

"Barry Allen," Barry introduced himself, holding his hand out to Christina McGee, CEO of Mercury Industries. The meeting had taken place at the CCPD where Barry, Joe and Dr. Wells were going to try and convince-key word being convince- Dr. McGee to allow them to use their technology as bait for The Man in Yellow who had tried to steal the very same device just the previous night. "Thank you for coming in Doctor."

"Tina McGee," Wells greeted, sitting beside Barry.

"I assume this is about last night's break in?" Christina asked with a heavy sigh. She had enough security issues to worry about at the moment, and coming down to the CCPD was not high on her priority list.

"Well, yes and no," Wells replied, and she gave him a fake smile, having expected that sort of answer from Harrison Wells of all people.

"That's usually how things are with you, aren't they Harrison?" She commented, and Barry felt awkward, knowing they had previous competitive history.

"We believe that whoever broke in was after one of your prototypes," Wells said vaguely, trying to keep the conversation light before it would turn hostile.

"You'll have to narrow that down. We have literally hundreds of projects in development." She replied just as vaguely, knowing exactly which one he was referring to, but she didn't want to admit it.

"One containing tachyonic particles." Wells said, and that put Christina on the defence immediately.

"We've had encouraging success with tachyons, yes, but there's still a significant gap between our prototype and any real-life application."

"We were hoping you would lend us your prototype as a lure," Barry explained, cutting in. Having the device would allow them to set the perfect trap for The Man in Yellow, especially considering they would be able to do it from Star Labs, giving them the upper hand considering it was their home turf, and they would be able to control all the variables.

"You're assisting the police now, Harrison?" She questioned, unsure of his stance in this matter. She wasn't about to let him take a look at her technology unless she was absolutely forced to.

"I'm consulting on this particular case." Wells said. "Listen, Tina, once this man is apprehended, your prototype will be promptly returned. You know nobody wants to ensure the future's technology more than me." Harrison put up an impressive speech, and his logic was as clear as ever, though so was Christina's stubbornness. She refused to give any of her technology to Harrison Wells regardless of the situation.

"I appreciate the CCPDs concerns, Mr. Allen, but Mercury is quite capable of protecting its own assets. Good luck with your manhunt." Christina said firmly, her decision not wavering even for the CCPD at this point. She promptly turned around, and left the room, their only chance to get the device leaving with her.

And with that they had failed their part of the mission, causing Barry to run a hand through his hair frustrated at their fruitless efforts, especially considering what was at stake.

* * *

"Hey Caitlin, check this out," Sophia said, coming up to her with Cisco trailing behind.

"I think we can fashion an electronic barrier, right? We set up a ton of super capacitator's, using Sophia as a catalyst, we just smooth out the inflection points, and Sophia basically feeds it with energy," Cisco rushed out excitedly, "voila, a kick-ass force field to trap the Opposite Flash."

"That was me testing out a name." Cisco said proudly, "What do you think?" Sophia cringed, not liking the sound of the name at all, shaking her head at Cisco's question, causing him to purse his lips "You don't get to judge after 'knuckles'," he said and she huffed in reply. When they didn't get a response from Caitlin, they took a second to focus on her, noticing that she was uncharacteristically quiet. They both looked at each other, moving to take a seat beside her.

"Are you okay?" Sophia asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing Caitlin to look up. Something was alive in Caitlin's eyes, Sophia couldn't tell if it was happiness or relief. But she seemed to be shocked for sure.

"Ronnie's alive," She breathed out, "I saw him. He was following me."

Sophia's eyes grew wide at this confession and she rubbed Caitlin's shoulders soothingly, giving her a sad smile. "Honey, that's impossible."

"Caitlin, Ronnie died. He was vaporized, in the accelerator when it went critical." Cisco's voice sounded strained, and Sophia felt horrible for the both of them.

"Ronnie's alive, he's out there and he's scared, and I need your help to find him," Caitlin said with a determined voice as though she knew something they didn't and both Cisco and Sophia sighed, knowing there was only one way this was going to end.

"Well then, let's go find ourselves a ghost."

* * *

The three were walking through a poorly lit tunnel underground, Cisco with a detector in hand, and Sophia leading the way with a flashlight pointed down the dark tunnel that reeked of a bad odour that could match that of a sewerage pipe. She had no idea why they were looking down here, but Caitlin's research had lead them to this spot, which was apparently where they would most likely run into Ronnie… dead Ronnie. Sophie still couldn't understand how it was possible, but after Caitlin explained that the Particle Accelerator had changed Ronnie as well, she knew that maybe, just maybe something had saved him.

"Look, Ronnie is not like you remembered him," Caitlin said softly, trying to prepare Cisco for the worst. Sophia had only met Ronnie a handful of times, and she probably wouldn't freak out as much as Cisco would.

"What does that mean?" Cisco cringed.

"Just don't freak out when you see him okay?"

"Because that statement won't freak us out already?" Sophia mumbled to herself, as they continued walking through the dreary tunnel, feeling more claustrophobic as they went further and further in. Then her flashlight went out, and Cisco's machine died as well.

"Oh, I really wish that was because the batteries were dead," Cisco said, and Sophia was slightly freaked out right now.

"Ronnie?" Caitlin asked cautiously, as she noticed someone was there, watching them from afar.

"Ronnie, it's me, Cait," She said slowly, moving past Sophia to the body hidden in the shadows.

"Look, I brought Cisco with me, and Sophia." Caitlin explained softly, "We're here to help you. You were in an accident, do you remember?" Her voice was soft, as light as a feather, calm and collected as she started to slowly move closer to him. She had only made it a few steps when he burst out at her aggressively.

"I'm not Ronnie," His voice came out rough and loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Yes, you are." Caitlin repeated, trying to reassure him that he was safe, and that they were there to help. "You're Ronnie Raymond."

"I'm not Ronnie, I told you that," He yelled with a gruff voice. "Now get away from me."

"Look, we just need to take you back to Star Labs. We'll help you remember who you are," Caitlin treaded carefully, unsure of how he would react. She just needed him to come back with her and they would be able to help him heal and to help him remember. He just needed to trust her. She moved forward again and he took a step back shaking his head before uttering one single word.

"Firestorm." Seconds later he lit up in flames, the fire licking his skin and spreading towards them. Sophia immediately throwing up a barrier between him and them to protect them from the fire as he flew off into the tunnel, darkness trailing behind him as the light faded further and further away.

* * *

"Caitlin, don't worry," Cisco said, trying to reassure her. It had been one hell of a day, and he knew how Caitlin got, especially when it came to Ronnie.

"Hey, now that we know he's out there, we will find Ronnie again." Sophia tried to reassure her, but this didn't seem to help either with her crying, instead fuelled it even more. She knew how tough it was for Caitlin to get to a stage where she was content with her life, where she still obviously missed and loved Ronnie, but she didn't let her emotions consume her. She had grieved, mourned and moved on. And now with Ronnie back it had just brought up all those feelings of regret, anguish, guilt and sadness.

" _Why_? So we can throw him in there, with all the other meta-human psychos?" Caitlin cried out, and Sophia put her arm around her, rubbing her shoulders softly, trying to give her comfort. She knew exactly how Caitlin felt, that's why she was so hesitant herself to let them know about her powers. Being a meta-human either made you bad, or good, there was no in-between… at least it seemed like it was that way.

"I used to play this game in my head," Caitlin admitted softly, small tears trailing down her face. "What would I give up for just _one_ more minute with him? My house? My career? The rest of my life? Today I finally got that minute… and I wish I hadn't." Caitlin confessed, hiccupping between her sobs. It broke their hearts to see her in so much pain, and they didn't know what to do, or what to say to fix it. "Seeing him like _that_ …what he's become, _dear God_. I wish he had just died that day."

* * *

Meanwhile Barry had just been told by Joe that he was not allowed to be there when the trap was taking place. It left him feeling helpless, and weak when he wanted nothing more than to be there, to catch this guy and to end it all. He understood Joe's worry, but he was their best chance at catching him, after all even with Sophia's impressive powers she wasn't fast enough to stop him.

So there he was, signing into Iron Heights prison to speak with his father. He gulped nervously as he walked in, sitting down on the chair, and seeing his dad through the glass. He tried to give his dad a smile as he sat down in the seat, pulling the phone over to his ear. But his heart felt like it was being torn apart realising he would be missing another Christmas with his father because he hadn't been fast enough to catch The Man in Yellow.

"Merry Christmas Slugger," Henry greeted through the phone, with a sad smile.

"Merry Christmas."

"You all right Barry?" His father asked, concerned at the solemn look on Barry's face. Henry placed his free hand on the glass, and Barry matched it up with his own, desperately aching for the comfort from his father that wasn't through a glass barrier.

"I screwed up dad," Barry admitted, his voice cracking slightly as he went on. "After years of searching, I finally found him. I found the man who killed mom. The Man in Yellow, the one in the lightning. He's out there, and I-I had him," Barry pressed his lips together, as he tried not to break into pieces. "He got away, I-I was so close. I promised you that I would get you out of here. Every day you spend in here has been because of him, until today. Now you're in here because of me, and I'm so sorry." The tears tricked down the side of Barry's face, as he sniffed, trying to keep his composure.

"Barry, this is not your fault," Henry said adamantly, and Barry kept his head down, the phone hanging loosely next to his ear. "Look at me," Henry said softly, and Barry looked up, biting the inside of his cheek.

"I know what you've given up. Every decision you've made in the past 14 years has been because of me and your mom, what you studied, why you became a CSI. Hear me now. The Man in the Yellow suit has taken enough from us already. Don't let him take any more."

* * *

"Okay, sending out another pulse." Cisco said, as he pressed a button, and giving Sophia a look from across the room, who was hiding behind some metal containers. She focused her power on boosting the electrical output on the capacitators, sighing in relief when she heard the steady hum of the machines powering up. They were hoping that with her powers acting as a catalyst for the machine, it would be able to create an impenetrable shield that even a speedster couldn't get out of.

"Are you certain this trap will work?"

"I've sent up at least three charges into open satellites, if anyone's looking for tachyonic particles, they'll know we got them," Cisco said over the comm. system, trying to reassure everyone's nerves. Seconds later, there was a rush of wind, and The Man in Yellow had gone for the trap. He was vibrating at high speeds, blurring his form as he stood in the force field trapped.

"Let's see what we caught."

"Cisco? Lights." Dr. Wells called through his ear piece.

"Sure thing, Dr. Wells."

"Detective Thawne, would you like to read him his rights?" Wells asked sarcastically, trying to intimidate The Man in Yellow.

"Dr. Wells, we meet at last," The deep hidden voice of The Man in Yellow came through, sending a chill down Sophia's spine as his threatening form looked down upon Wells.

"What do you want with the tachyonic particles?" Wells probed.

"My goals are beyond your understanding."

"Oh, I don't know, I'm a pretty smart guy." Wells said. "I knew you were exceptionally fast, so any trap we manufactured would have to be invisible. I knew your cells could repair themselves at extraordinary speeds, so you could withstand the damage this is doing to your body right now."

"The super capacitators in the containment field is fluctuating," Cisco called out from his station within the cortex as he monitored the events through his screen.

"They need to get out of there now," Caitlin said, worrying for their safety.

"The reason I know all this is because your powers are almost exactly like those of The Flash," Wells taunted, showing off that he knew how to contain the man.

"Oh, I'm not like The Flash at all." He said ominously, "Some would say I'm _the reverse_." And then he did something that no one was expecting. He pulled Dr. Wells into the force field, and started to attack him. He sped around faster than Wells could blink, kicking him in the abdomen, sending him sprawled to the ground as he continued to hit and attack him relentlessly.

"Cisco, turn off the barrier!" Sophia yelled, panicking that Wells would get more than just injured in there.

"If I turn it off, that things gonna get out."

Joe didn't waste a second, grabbing a bat that was laying nearby. He ran forward, smashing the capacitator, the force field dropping immediately.

"Don't move, or we will shoot." Eddie threatened, and the Reverse Flash smirked, zooming around as his knocked out every last member of the anti-meta human task force, moving to stand in front of Eddie, shoving the gun from his hand and leaving Eddie helpless. The Reverse Flash's form was blurred, but threatening enough as he loomed over the police officer, his red eyes glowing, before moving to attack Sophia as she tried to come up behind him and throw up her own force field to contain him. He turned around, faster than she could have trapped him, grabbing her neck and slamming her back against the wall, his hand vibrating at inhuman speeds as he directed it towards her heart, ready to kill her. That's when Barry ran in, hitting The Reverse Flash, scarlet red and golden yellow lightning sparking as they shot up into the sky through the glass roof as they fought, heading out on the streets to finish their fight.

Sophia slumped against the wall, Joe running over to her immediately and helping her up.

"Are you alright?" Joe asked, and she nodded, motioning to Wells who was laying on the ground, unable to move. They ran over to him immediately, helping him up and back to his wheelchair, where Joe said he would get him medical attention. Sophia nodded, running past Eddie who seemed to be frozen in shock at what had just happened. She flew through the halls of Star Labs, moving faster than she could have ran, and she arrived outside Star Labs, looking around the dark night sky, for any sign of Barry and the Reverse Flash. Cisco and Caitlin eventually caught up with her and were waiting with her by the door.

"Wait here, and under no circumstances come outside," Sophia ordered them, cautiously walking outside, forming a ball of energy in her hands a haunting suspicion that the Reverse Flash would be back.

Seconds later there was a blaze of lightning, and the two of them came barrelling in, The Reverse Flash throwing Barry against a car, who yelled in pain as his head smashed against the windscreen. Sophia flew directly at the Reverse Flash, the ball of cobalt energy in her hand growing larger, electricity crackling throughout it as she punched him, sending him soaring through the air, landing on the hard concrete. That wasn't enough to stop him though, he was back on his feet too fast, grabbing Barry by his chest who had run back at him, and throwing him to the ground. Sophia threw up a shield around Barry, protecting him from the attacks of the Reverse Flash, causing him to turn his attention to her. He ran up to her, punching her, his attacks quick and vicious, leaving her on the ground and in pain, losing her focus. He started focusing his attention on Barry now that her shield had dropped. He relentlessly punched Barry, breaking his wrist and ripping off his mask, ready to kill him when something unexpected happened.

Sophia saw something burning in the sky, and heading towards their direction. She recognised it to be the burning man- aka Ronnie. She gave him a look, and he nodded at her. She pushed herself up off the ground, ignoring the agonising pain as she got into a standing position. She summoned as much energy as she could, twisting her wrist as she did so, and blasting The Reverse Flash from the back with as much force as she could muster. As she attacked from the back, Ronnie hit him with a wave of fire from the front, sending the Reverse Flash flying backwards, against the ground. He seemed to look at his options, figuring that with the third addition it would be much harder to continue the fight.

"Our race is not yet done." His deep voice came out, in a menacing tone, "See you soon, _Flash_." And with a trail of red lightning, he had disappeared, not a trace of him left behind. With heavy breaths, they turned to look at their saviour who had come just in time, to see Ronnie's clear face, the fire not hiding his identity anymore.

"Don't look for me again," Ronnie grunted, and Caitlin ran out, trying to reach him before he left, but he fired up, the flames shooting out from his hands, as he flew back into the night sky. Seeing that he was gone, Caitlin ran back into Star Labs, needing to tend to Wells who was seriously injured.

Sophia ran over to Barry immediately, limping as she did so.

"Barry," She breathed out, as she came over to him, he was bleeding from his lip, cuts on his face, and she felt guilty that she wasn't able to help him. _All these powers, and you couldn't even protect him._ "Let's get you inside." And with Cisco's help she had helped him up, and they walked him into the Cortex, everyone silent as they did so, still mulling over the disaster that was the last ten minutes. They had lost the Reverse Flash, and the tachyon device all in the span of ten minutes, and Sophia tried her very best to not think about the fact that Barry could have died tonight, fearing that if she did she would have lost her sanity at that very moment.

They all moved into the cortex, Caitlin tending to Wells in the main med area, and Sophia lead Barry over to the other room, closing the transparent door as he sat down on the bed. Silently, she started cleaning his wounds, wiping the scarlet blood off his lower lip, her mind focused on the task, rather than the meaning behind it. This went on for another few minutes as she finished up checking him out, taking a shaky breath as she sighed in relief that there was no bleeding from his head, something that she was worried about when The Reverse Flash threw him against the car.

"Sophia," Barry breathed out, trying to get her attention. Her head was down, her brown hair covering her face, as she pulled off her gloves with shaky hands, not able to get them off properly. Frustrated tears sprouted, leaving a trail down her cheeks as she finally got them off, tossing them into the bin with unnecessary force. "Sophia please," Barry pleaded, and she finally looked up at him, and he didn't expect to see her crying. She moved forward, throwing her arms around Barry and wept into his chest, his arms immediately coming around her to comfort her.

"Y-You n-nearly died, a-and I couldn't d-do an-anything to help y-you." Sophia was a blubbering mess, as she tried to wipe the tears from her face, furious when they kept falling down. "W-What's the point in h-having powers w-when I can't even p-protect the p-people I _lo-_ I-I care about?" She hiccupped and Barry rubbed her back soothingly.

" _Hey_ , it's not your fault," Barry whispered softly, wiping the tears away from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. Her breathing had returned to a normal rate, but she sniffled occasionally. But she still couldn't help but feel guilty. If Ronnie hadn't shown up, would she have been able to save Barry or any of them? That was a question that had been stabbing at her ever since she was there on the ground, watching helplessly as Barry was beaten up.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," She mumbled over, and over, and he brought her into a warm embrace, her head resting in the crook of his neck, as he rubbed her back, trying himself not to cry. She was scared that Barry had nearly died, scared of what the Reverse Flash was capable of, and most importantly, scared that she couldn't protect the people that she loved, even with all the power in the world, she was still… _helpless_.

But what she didn't know was that he was scared as well. With all his speed, all the power that he had, he wasn't able to stop the Reverse Flash. And it was in that moment he realised something, something he was afraid of admitting to himself, and terrified of admitting to her, but most of all he was scared of never getting the chance to tell her, and he promised that he would and he when he did, he would do it justice. _I love you._

* * *

Barry was now out of his suit, and dressed in a comfortable pair of clothes, watching Sophia as she slept in a chair at Star Labs. He walked over, draping his jacket over her form, smiling softly as her fingertips grasped the material unconsciously. Maybe it was the life or death situation that they were placed in tonight, but he knew that he would never let her go. When he saw their enemy holding her by her throat, strangling her, his hand ready to go straight through her heart, he had pushed himself to reach her fast enough to prevent anything from happening to her. He hadn't felt fear like that since the night his mother died… probably because it was at the hands of the same man.

"I've been going over the data, and I still don't know why the containment system failed." Cisco sighed, "I must have missed something. I'm sorry," He apologised, feeling responsible for Wells getting hurt, and that they lost today.

"It's not your fault Cisco." Barry felt as though everyone was throwing the blame on themselves today, and it made him sad to see his friends build up that guilt inside when it wasn't their fault at all.

"But, if you both feel the need to apologise for something, you might start with the _not_ telling me that Ronnie is still alive," Barry said, pointedly, pressing his lips together in frustration.

"I asked Cisco not to say anything," Caitlin pointed out meekly, "Once I saw what Ronnie had become, I needed- I needed time to see if I could make him whole again."

"I'm sorry," Caitlin said after a few moments. "I know you're mad."

"No. I don't know what I would have done differently in your situation."

"I know I have made you a lot of promises. I know I've not been able to keep them all. But on my life, I promise you this. _We will bring Ronnie home._ " Wells promised, and Caitlin gave him a small smile of thanks.

Sophia woke up a little while later, grateful for the sleep, easing her of her worries and the anxiety from the previous events of the day. Caitlin had woken her up, letting her know that she and Cisco were heading over to the West house hold. She was up and ready to go with them a few minutes later, stopping over at her house to change into something a little more festive. Cisco and Caitlin were waiting in her kitchen, enjoying a quick refreshment while she got ready.

Sophia straightened out her deep scarlet dress, trying to get herself in a good mood. She finished applying some light make-up, but then decided what the hell, it was Christmas, why not have some fun. She grabbed her favourite red lipstick, and slowly applied it with precision trying not to smudge any on her face. She stuck with a pair of black flats to match the long-sleeved dress that reached her knees, showing off her legs in a nice light, as the light material draped over her body effortlessly.

She walked out of her room, announcing that she was ready to go when both Caitlin and Cisco froze, stopping their conversation as they saw their friend.

"Woah," Cisco breathed out.

"You look beautiful," Caitlin complimented, and Sophia blushed under their gaze. Her friends were too nice.

" _Damn_ , Barry's a lucky guy," Cisco mentioned, and Sophia shook her head, and with a smile on her face, she intertwined her arms with both Cisco and Caitlin.

"Let's get this show on the road." And with that they were off to celebrate and drown themselves in happiness and holiday cheer to mask their failure and fear.

They walked into the West household, being greeted by both Eddie and Iris with hugs, and holiday greetings, and some of 'Grandma Esther's eggnog' which Sophia had to admit she loved. Just as Iris was handing out the eggnog to the others, Barry and Joe walked through the door. Barry had a look of surprise on his face as he saw Caitlin, Cisco and Sophia standing there. Well that was partially why he was surprised. In reality he wasn't able to take his eyes of Sophia who looked dangerously gorgeous in her scarlet dress. She always said how she thought he looked great in red, but Barry swore that she won the gold medal in that category- it wasn't even a competition anymore.

"You look _beautiful_ ," Barry breathed out as he walked over to Sophia. She smiled shyly at him, twirling around in her dress, the delicate scarlet material spinning with her.

"You think so?"

"Oh trust me, he's been drooling since he laid eyes on you," Cisco piped in, walking up to them and greeting Barry with a hug.

"Hey," Barry said, a tint of red on his cheeks at Cisco's comment.

"Hey," Caitlin said walking over and giving Barry and Joe hugs.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I invited them," Joe replied with a smile, grabbing a cup of the eggnog when Iris offered.

"Merry Christmas Barry," Eddie said, and Barry smiled, "You too Eddie."

"Hey, I, um, just wanted to say, I heard you're moving in together, and I'm really happy for you." Barry said kind of awkwardly, but he was happy for the couple, glad that they were moving along well in their relationship, even though Barry was hesitant about them at first.

"Thanks."

"Merry Christmas guys," Sophia announced as she came over, sitting next to Barry on the couch, passing over a cup of eggnog.

"Day like today, Grandma Esther's eggnog seems a little light on the bourbon."

"Really?" Sophia asked, scratching the side of her head. "I found it a bit _too_ heavy," Sophia admitted, sticking her tongue out. "Then again, I can't really handle that much alcohol without," she made a face, sticking her tongue out and making a sound similar to that of a balloon deflating, and they all laughed, and she was happy she could get them all to smile. Barry looked over at her with an incredulous look, wondering how the hell he got so lucky, something he was doing a lot of recently. He leaned over, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush furiously, and Iris to giggle at her friends, glad that Barry finally had found someone who loved him.

On the other side of the room, Cisco and Joe stood there having a conversation as Cisco brought up something intriguing.

"Hey Joe," Cisco called.

"Hmm," Joe replied, taking a sip of the drink he was nursing.

"I saw something weird tonight," Cisco said.

"Yeah, Cisco, I saw it too," Joe said sarcastically, pressing his lips together.

"No, I mean, when The Flash and The Man in Yellow were going full-on bumper cars on each other, I was watching the electricity coming off of them… yellow and red electricity," Cisco elaborated.

"When Barry was a kid, he saw red and yellow lighting in his house, the night his mother died."

"There were two of them. The Man in Yellow may have killed Barry's mother, but there was another speedster there that night."

"Dad, it's time for a photo," Iris called out and they all gathered for their first Christmas photo together, Joe telling Cisco they would continue this conversation another time.

"To new beginnings," Sophia announced, pressing the timer, and then running back to her spot next to Barry on the couch, gasping when he pulled her into his lap.

"New beginnings." Everyone said as the camera went off, flashing as they all smiled. She smacked his hand a second later, after the flash had gone off, threatening him if it came out horrible. But they were pleasantly surprised at the results. Everyone had beaming smiles on and they looked happy, so that's all that mattered. Iris said she was just happy that nobody had their eyes closed, which happened more often than not.

The rest of the evening was spent, laughing and dining with some of the most scrumptious food, all prepared by the very talented Iris West. Sophia was sure to take down some of the recipes, eager to try them out. More gifts were passed around, and Sophia whipped up some last minute desserts in about twenty minutes, and everyone loved it, devouring the raspberry and cream sponge cake, Iris especially, claiming that she should be on MasterChef, and Sophia said they should go on together, causing them to both laugh. But then Joe pointed out that they were both great chef's and if they did go on, and won they could split the money… and give him a small percentage as well which caused the whole group to laugh. It was silly banter like this that made Sophia's heart soar with love. They had become a big family, and she knew that life without any one of them would be heart breaking.

It was now nearing the late hours of Christmas, and people started to head off, returning home as they all had work the next day, promising that they would try and meet up for New Years. Sophia quickly called her father, wishing him a Merry Christmas, and promising that she would visit soon, sad she couldn't have spent this year's celebrations with him. She also remembered to send Anna a text, letting her know she would call soon.

Barry was walking Sophia to the door, as she was one of the last to leave, only himself and Joe in the West household.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home? It will literally take _two_ seconds," Barry asked as he opened his front door, sticking his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the door, watching Sophia put on her shoes.

"Yeah I'm sure. I want to fly home, after all practice makes perfect," Sophia said, bopping his nose with her finger.

"But-."

" _Uh ah_ -, no buts."

"Fine," Barry sighed as Sophia stepped out of the door, walking down his steps as he called out causing her to tilt her head back, smirking at the puppy dog expression on his face. "What, no goodbye?"

"You mean no goodbye kiss?" Sophia corrected, raising an eyebrow and he smiled sheepishly, running over to her and capturing her lips in a heated kiss, his hand on her lower back as he drew her in closer to him.

"Yeah, that," Barry mumbled against her lips and she giggled, placing a hand on his cheek and kissing him soundly before slowly pulling back, not wanting to let go for anything in the world, but she knew that if she didn't that she wouldn't make it home that night. Which didn't seem to be such a bad notion, but she knew that it wasn't time for that just yet.

"Merry Christmas Soph."

"Merry Christmas Barry." And with a final kiss, she turned her head left and right, looking to see if anyone was lurking around. The coast was clear, so she shot up into the sky like a rocket, twirling as she flew up into the air, winking from above at Barry who watched her in awe, remembering that as soon as she had the whole flying thing down pat, he was going to ask for a joy ride.

 **A/N:**

 **Chapter 12! Nearly at 100k words. Isn't that exciting news? So glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter, even though it was original content, happy that you thought it fit right in as though it was an episode. Though it's not as slow burn, I still feel like things have been happening at the right time. I don't look at it as chapter 12, I look at it as over 90,000 words, and then it sort of puts things into perspective.**

 **This one was a rollercoaster to write, so many emotions. From fluff to angst to drama and then back to fluff again. One hell of a ride.**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews, and because so many of you posted, I decided to reward you all with a new chapter a few days early.**

 **Replies: Some I replied via PM, others are below.**

 **Tabloid Teen: They are, aren't they? I'm loving that you're loving it! Woot! I was hoping that their kiss would be good. I didn't want to rush into it too soon. They had their first kiss after 80,000 words of writing, so I think it was timed well.**

 **Ms. O'Leary: I absolutely loved writing those scenes with Sophia developing her powers, and then moving out on her own into the action. It was about time she got to kick some butt independently (not that she doesn't love fighting with Barry and the rest of the team). I was talking about this with another avid reader, and we both agreed as well that if we were in the situation, we would totally pull the covers up and squirm like that as well. Yeah, I felt like it was nice to have a breather from the team for the chapter, that way I could have her interact with other characters more, otherwise it was going to get boring, and I can't imagine that in reality she would just hang out with the team 24/7.**

 **MyOwnPersonalHeaven: I know I responded to you via PM already, but I love you as well, and thank you so much for the kind few words that actually made my day.**

 **Natalie: Hope the bit of fluff between them in this chapter was good for you! There's plenty more where that came from, but as usual the drama never ends. Hoping to hear your thoughts soon.**

 **Special Thanks to all the new followers, welcome to the club! (I know I usually write you're names down, but I honestly have the worst headache right now, and I just want to get this out there, so I'll include it next time round, but thank you, to each and every one of you.)**

 **Also, just want to let everyone know that I start back at university in March, so updates will come a bit slower when I start if I haven't written enough in preparation, please stay with me. Thank you for all your support etc. Love you guys.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue. x**


	13. Revenge of The Rogues

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The hot sun was beaming down on Central City, the cool winds providing the only form of comfort to those who were working outdoors. It also just happened to be another training day which didn't sit well with Sophia. Flying was not fun when it was particularly sunny, though not because of the obvious reasoning of the heat getting to her, but because she couldn't see a damn thing with the bright light hitting her eyes every three seconds. She wondered if it would be peculiar if she asked Cisco to modify her mask to add some sort of tinted glass, that would reflect the light, making it easier for her to see during the day… if that was even possible. Otherwise she was considering just putting on her aviators and flying up, though she figured that wouldn't go down very well when fighting against meta-humans even though she would look pretty damn fly doing so. She had done a few laps over the city that morning, trying to beat her fastest time, but she nearly ended up crashing into a flock of birds that seemed to be flying way too high... or maybe she was just too low. Honestly, she couldn't begin to tell. She was exhausted from her working during the day, and fighting crime at night. It was a tough lifestyle change, but she was determined to stick to it.

So after, relaxing for a good two hours or so whilst Caitlin ran some more tests, and Barry trained with Cisco and Dr. Wells, Sophia was beginning to feel the boredom set in. She wanted to get back into the fun, but Dr. Wells seemed to be focused on Barry quite adamantly today.

"Remember, this is just supposed to be a training exercise to improve Barry's speed." Dr. Wells advised, taking a long sip of his coffee. Sophia loved coffee, but on a day like this, she just wanted a cold refreshing lemonade. The heat was enough and she wouldn't be able to handle downing a steaming cup of the godsend that was apparently just 'bean juice' as Cisco had referred to it the previous day.

"What about me?" Sophia pouted. The training this morning had been purely focused on Barry and his goal to get faster day by day. Sophia was beginning to wonder if Dr. Wells had a favourite, and all signs pointed against her. She had been improving with her powers quite well lately with one on one training, mainly supervised and monitored by Cisco or even Barry when he was free, but she had goals too. She figured that if she practiced enough, just focusing on her flight, she would be able to increase her speed, and the distance at which she could travel without feeling drained so easily, as displayed by her practice that very morning. Sophia had also discovered, after strenuous testing with Cisco that with the energy she was able to form, could be used to create shields, barriers, blasts, pulses and more. The opportunities were endless, as long as she focused hard enough, she could transform and bend the energy to her will. Cisco seemed to be even more ecstatic than she was when they found out, realising that her powers were even more multi-purpose than before. But she was adamant that she wanted to stick to her pulses, and blasts in order to perfect them before she moved onto creating anything else with her energy. She knew that if she took too much on, too fast, she would just crash and burn.

"Patience Sophia," Wells advised and she crossed her arms, sighing. She figured that if she wasn't going to be training, she could have been somewhere else, like at work, or even better working on figuring out how to get in contact with Anna who had mysteriously dropped off the grid in the last week. She wasn't sure what happened to her friend, but she couldn't get in contact with her, and she had no contact details for Jimmy Olsen or the mysterious Clark Kent that she had mentioned to her on her last visit to Metropolis. She was eager to take a trip down to Metropolis to check things out for herself, but with the Reverse Flash back in Central City, it wasn't safe to leave.

"Fine."

"Cisco you gonna bring it or what?" Barry yelled, not even breaking a sweat as he ran away from Cisco's drones that were shooting at him.

"Bring it," Cisco scoffed, offended by Barry's comment. If he wanted him to bring it, _well_ he was going to _bring it._ Cisco prepped his mini missiles, launching them at Barry. The missile went soaring through the air and Barry just stood there waiting for it, leaving the rest of them confused.

"Why isn't he running away?" Caitlin asked Sophia, and she shrugged. "Barry, run away," Caitlin spoke up louder so that the mic would register it and he would hear. The missile was getting closer, and Barry took his time to anticipate his move. He ran forward, the yellow electricity sparking behind him as he leaped forward, grabbing the missile in mid-air twisting, as he directed the missile into the other drone, the devices exploding immediately, leaving a cloud of smoke behind. _Two birds with one stone_ , Barry felt smug at the small victory, Cisco… not so much.

"I know this is _totally_ inappropriate but that was so _hot_." Sophia whispered to Caitlin who gasped in surprise. "I know, scandalous." Sophia admitted but she couldn't help herself. _Guess there is one upside of watching your boyfriend train._

"Very impressive Mr. Allen." Dr. Wells called out, proud that Barry was making progress. "You're reaction to stimuli at super-speed continues to improve."

"It's still not enough," Barry said, gulping down three bottles of water faster than Sophia could blink.

"It will be," Wells reassured, he needed Barry to stay focused and not to second guess himself otherwise he wouldn't improve.

"You keep working like you are, you stay focused like you are, and you will be ready the next time your man in the yellow suit comes around."

"I think you mean the Reverse Flash," Cisco corrected. "What?" He said when everyone gave him pointed looks for naming the super-villain that had killed Barry's mother. "He said it, not me."

"And he's right. Yellow suit, red lightning, the evil reverse of Barry." Cisco concluded and Sophia nodded in agreement. It did make sense, and it was easier to remember.

"Meh," Caitlin said, not liking the name at all.

"Actually, I kind of like it."

"All right, I'm still ready for another round." Barry said, stretching his arms out.

"Time for me to join the fun, I think," Sophia called out, and Wells nodded. She ran into the van, stripping down her jeans and hoodie to reveal her super-suit that she had hidden underneath. _About time._ She walked out, tying her hair up into a tight ponytail, hoping it didn't come out. She was experimenting with different hair styles whilst fighting to find the most suitable one that would stay put. So far everything just about failed, and leaving it out was the last resort.

"How many drones do you have left?" Sophia asked as she floated in the air, gliding backwards onto the air strip, her body feeling tingly and excited as she used her powers, something she found she was craving a lot recently. She figured it was just the adrenaline and hormones released into her bloodstream as she used her powers.

"Two. And they've got _lasers_." He pointed out with a giant smirk on his face, getting way to excited to be pointing lasers at his friends that were potentially deadly- who was he kidding they were military grade. _Cisco could seriously become a super-villain with the insane mind that he had been blessed with_ she mused to herself.

"No." Caitlin and Wells said at the same time, and Sophia laughed.

"Lasers, talk about a walk in the park." Cisco took this as a challenge, and released them both at the same time. In record time she had destroyed the two drones, energy pulsating from her hands as though they she had done this all her life. The cobalt electricity flowed naturally, hitting their targets effortlessly, the drones exploding into a cloud of burning debris.

After the drones were gone, Wells figured that Sophia and Barry could train against each other for a while, and they eagerly agreed, both going to opposite ends of the airstrip. She had only trained with Barry a handful of times, what with their busy schedules and all.

"Ready when you are _sweetie_ ," Sophia called out, hovering in the air, a mischievous glint in her eyes, as they morphed from their natural brown to an illuminating sapphire. "Don't forget to bring it." She teased, getting a reaction out of him, because right now they weren't Sophia and Barry, they were The Flash and Sapphire.

" _Oh_ , I'll bring it," Barry said, his eyes flashing yellow as the electricity coursed through his veins, and on three, they both came at each other with everything they had, not letting anything back.

* * *

"That was not a good idea." Sophia groaned in pain as she lay down on the bed in the med bay of Star Labs.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sprain your wrist." Barry apologised with a sheepish look on his face, as he stood on the other side of the room, fearing her wrath. She was actually quite scary when she wanted to be, a side that he thought Sophia didn't have.

" _Sorry, I didn't mean to sprain your wrist_ ," Sophia mimicked Barry's voice, feeling annoyed. He had actually hurt her wrist, not on purpose mind you, but it had happened nonetheless, and she was going to go insane. Caitlin said with her healing rate improving every day, much faster than a normal human it would be healed within the day, rather than weeks, but she was still annoyed that if it had been Barry it would have taken less than three hours to completely heal.

"Hey, no need to be miss cranky pants," Barry called out from the other side of the room and Cisco laughed from his seat as he ran his daily diagnostic security tests on their computer systems. He had his earphones on, but he could still hear their yelling, and he found it hilarious that Barry of all people was scared of Sophia, but then again she did seem to be in a cranky mood that morning. He figured that she was just stressed because of Anna. Yes, he knew about Anna's mysterious disappearance. She hadn't told anyone else yet, not wanting to worry them, but she had asked for Cisco's help in tracking her cell phone, IP address, credit cards- basically anything that would alert, them to where she may have been. But they found it difficult, because since she had died, she had been using a number of different alias's to protect herself, so it made the job even harder.

"I won't be if you come here," Sophia called, moving into a sitting position, dangling her legs off the edge of the bed.

" _Why_ , so you can break my wrist?"

"No doofus," she sighed, "If you don't want to come, your loss." He ran over within a second, and she sat up, leaning forward with a smile on her face, and he smiled, expecting a kiss but she whacked him on the arm.

"That's for spraining my wrist." He rubbed his arm with a scrunched up nose, and she grabbed the lapels of his jacket with the hand that wasn't hurt, and pulled him forward for an unexpected kiss. He gasped into her mouth, his lips melding with hers effortlessly as they continued to kiss for a little while longer, enjoying the intimate moment they had managed to steal in-between work, when Cisco squealed, a sound they weren't expecting from him. But it wasn't an 'aww' sort of squeal, it was more of a 'oh my god stop it now guys' sort of squeal. He had noticed that it had gone eerily silent, even with his earphones on, and so he looked up from his station to see them making out.

"You guys know that I'm totally happy for you right, but _seriously_ , what's with the PDA?" Cisco called out from his desk. They broke apart immediately, Sophia burying her face in Barry's chest, a rosy tint on her cheeks.

"Sorry, pain medication makes me a bit… woozy," Sophia apologised, and Cisco sighed, waving it aside.

"That's an understatement."

Barry's phone went off breaking the silence, and the sound of Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' filled the room, causing Sophia to look up at him with a giggle. The ringtone had elicited a laugh from Cisco as well. Barry turned a deep shade of red, spluttering as he denied that it was his ringtone, but when reaching into his pocket, he found that the music was indeed coming from his phone, and Joe was calling. Whilst Barry answered his call from Joe, Sophia walked over to Cisco, trying hard to contain her mirth, a grin threatening to burst out across her face.

"I didn't think it would actually work," She said, biting her lip as she tried to stop her giggling, and he nodded gleefully, equally amused at their little prank. They had managed to successfully rick-roll Barry. Cisco fist-bumped her, proud of their work.

"Mmm, I wonder if we should perhaps put this extremely important knowledge towards, say, a certain Doctor that we know so well," Cisco said, vaguely describing Caitlin, and Sophia nodded immediately, jumping on that ship, ready to rick-roll yet another friend. Cisco got to work immediately, hacking Caitlin's phone from his computer like he did with Barry's and changed her ringtone.

"I have to go, my day job beckons," Barry announced, and they smiled goodbye, waving as he put his phone in his pocket, zooming out of there and to a new crime scene.

* * *

"Are you sure nothings missing?" Barry asked.

"That's what the supervisor said." Barry sighed as he spoke to one of the workers at the crime scene. This was going nowhere, and he had a bad feeling that an old _friend_ was back in town.

"I can check again." The guy said, and Barry nodded with a sigh as he walked off. There was more radio chatter in the background, and soon Joe arrived on the scene walking up to Barry.

"Bar," Joe greeted.

"Hey." Barry inspected the door for a little while longer, double checking his findings even though he was pretty sure he knew who was responsible for the break-in. "Well, the breakage indicates that the door somehow had zero viscoelasticity when it hit the ground," Barry explained.

"What does that mean to normal people?" Joe asked sarcastically.

"Sorry," Barry mumbled. "Uh- the steel shattered like glass. It was frozen, Joe."

"Snart," Joe said with pursed lips. He honestly wished that guy would have stayed gone.

"He's back." Barry nodded, confirming Joe's suspicion.

"I thought Snart was some world-class thief. All these expensive cars, he didn't take any of them? It doesn't make sense." Joe tried to make sense of the situation. "Eddie put out an APB on Snart," Joe called out, and Eddie looked over, giving him a nod before getting to work.

"Got it."

"Snart wasn't here to steal anything, he was setting a trap for me," Barry whispered to Joe softly, "And by me, I mean-," he pointed his fingers awkwardly, trying to explain that he meant his alter-ego, but Joe got the gist of it, cutting him off and rolling his eyes.

" _Yeah_ , I know who you meant," Joe said with a deadpan expression and Barry smiled sheepishly.

* * *

"God, you're beautiful," Mick breathed out, as he admired the gun in his hands, polishing it with a delicate touch as though it was as fragile as glass.

"Mick," Snart groaned, not wanting to listen to his mumbling again, he had been at it all morning.

"This is a joke." Mick complained, putting down his gun on the table. "How do you know this Flash didn't skip town, hmm? Maybe, that's why he didn't show up." Mick was starting to get sick of waiting around for this guy to show up so they could kill him. "Or maybe he's dead. Or maybe someone smarter than you iced him," Mick kept going, and Snart shook his head.

"He's not dead, and he didn't leave town," Snart said with a clenched jaw. He knew The Flash was in town, lurking around somewhere, he just needed to draw him out.

"You will tell me what we're stealing this time… We're partners after all," Mick stated, not giving Snart a chance to ignore him again. Snart showed him a photo of a piece of artwork, receiving a scoff in reply.

"This is what we came for?" That's worth money?" Mick was astounded that people would actually pay _money_ for that.

"It's called Fire and Ice, an abstract modern-day masterpiece said to represent the dichotomy of being." Snart explained eloquently, and it was wasted on the feeble mind of Mick who just grunted in response.

"It represents to me that people with lots of money buy dumb stuff," Mick scoffed with a laugh.

"Osgood and Rachel Rathaway, one of _the richest_ couples in Central City paid 25 million for it in Paris. They're flying home with it today." Snart said, emphasising how much the painting was worth.

"Mmm." Mick hummed, a smirk beginning to form on his face, starting to like the plan that was forming.

* * *

"Captain cold is back?" Cisco asked, pressing his lips together in guilt as he remembered what happened last time the bastard was in town.

"For a non-meta human, Leonard Snart is proving to be quite the nemesis." Dr. Wells interjected, and Sophia agreed as she remembered their last encounter.

"He still has the cold gun, the one he stole from us, the one I built," Cisco said, and Sophia gave him a look with wide eyes, communicating for him to cut it out, everyone else in the room looking around awkwardly at his comment even though Barry had forgiven him and they had moved on.

"Well, what does he want this time?"

"The Flash." Barry breathed out. "If Snart wants a fight with The Flash, then I'll give him one." Barry said, determined to catch him this time, and not let him slip through his fingers. Sophia and Dr. Wells shared a look, Wells inclining his head in the direction of her wrist. She rotated it, feeling that it had healed since, and she nodded indicating that she was in perfect shape.

"Well, you don't think I should?" Barry asked.

"I didn't say that." Wells shook his head.

"But, Barry as fast as you are, you cannot be everywhere at once. And it becomes then a question of priorities. Now, in the last month, you have made a commitment to increasing your speed, enhancing your reflexes, and it's working. You're finally getting faster."

"Okay, but what am I supposed to do, just ignore Snart?" Barry asked.

"No," Sophia cut in. "I'll take care of Snart." Causing Barry to look over at her and shake his head, not liking the idea. "Plus I have an advantage that you never did, a cold gun can't get through my shields," Sophia explained, and Cisco nodded, agreeing with her musings. Barry clenched his jaw, not liking the idea of Sophia going at Cold on her own, but he knew that she was more than capable of holding her own. When he didn't respond though to the suggestion Wells intervened, explaining that it would all be fine.

"Look Barry- Cisco, Sophia and I will work with Joe and the police to devise a way to catch cold," Wells said, trying to ease Barry's nerves, and Cisco's face lit up at Dr. Wells pun. "Yes, I said it Cisco. As soon as it came out of my mouth, I heard it," Wells said, and Cisco shut his open mouth, a grin still plastered on his face.

"Yeah, we can definitely come up with ways to neutralizes Snart, _plus_ I'm pretty confident that Sapphire can take down Snart." Cisco pointed out, and Sophia smiled at him, thankful for the support.

"Barry, we're here to support you whatever you choose to do, and if you want to help me take down Snart then you can, but he wants a fight with The Flash. Maybe if he realises that it's not going to happen, he'll back down." Sophia said, and Barry looked over at her, thinking it over.

"But after this past Christmas, after the events with the Reverse-Flash, I just think he poses a greater threat to all of us," Dr. Wells added, reminding Barry of the bigger picture.

"Okay," Barry said, agreeing with the plan, "But keep me updated, I want to know how it all goes down." And Sophia nodded, sending a smile his way. She fist-bumped Cisco who was sitting next to her, excited to finally give Snart a piece of her mind after the shit he pulled on all of them months ago.

* * *

Barry went over to the precinct, to update Joe on the plan, hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed in him for sitting this one out.

"Joe, hey."

"Hey, I'm glad you're back, I've been going over Snart's file," Joe started to explain, as he closed the folder in his hands, but Barry cut him off.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you." At Barry's serious tone, Joe took a seat in his lab, waiting for Barry to elaborate. "As CSI, my work on this case is done. And as The Flash, I don't think I can focus on Snart right now." Barry hoped that Joe would understand, but by the look on his face, he was sure this conversation wasn't going to end here.

"You mind telling me what brought about this change of heart?" Joe questioned.

"The man in yellow, the man that killed my mom is still out there. I have to be ready to face him, which means amping up my speed. It's a question of priorities."

"Your mom's killer isn't the only reason you've been doing this," Joe tried to show Barry reason. "You told me that if you could use your powers to save someone from a burning building you would."

"Look, Dr. Wells and Sophia are going to work with you. She can take Snart on, she's got the power. A-and Cisco thinks he has a way to protect the police against Snart's cold gun," Barry said, running a hand through his hair. Either way, he was disappointing someone, but he was just trying to do what was right.

"Barry, I can understand if you're scared."

"We talked about this _, of course_ I'm scared, Joe," Barry's shaky voice came out. "This guy could run into the precinct and kill everyone here in seconds. He threatened Iris and Sophia. I won't let him hurt the most important people in my life again. If that means devoting every second I have outside this place to getting faster and to stopping him, then that's what I'm gonna do." Joe sighed at Barry's confession, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I've made up my mind."

"Guess, I better call your girlfriend," Joe said, giving Barry a small smile. If he couldn't get Barry onto the case now, then he'd settle for Sophia. But the longer he thought about it, he didn't mind working with Sophia, the girl was caring and she'd do the right thing, and hopefully this time, they'd catch Snart. He had confidence in her abilities after taking down the meta when Barry was out of town, but he knew that Sophia was a bit more sensitive with her powers after the Christmas incident… they all were.

* * *

"If I could have everybody's attention, please." Cisco called out, coughing awkwardly as the police officers stood there chatting amongst themselves. The captain quieted them all down, gaining their attention.

"You have our attention, Mr. Ramon." Captain Singh said with a deadpan expression.

"Okay, _check it_." Cisco said, his nervousness replaced by his excitement at his latest invention. "So Dr Wells and I, we took your ballistic shields and we lined them with a pretty sweet compacted heating ribbon designed to repel temperature at especially those reaching absolute zero, like Captain Cold's gun."

"And that's supposed to keep us from getting-turned into popsicles?"

"Um, _yeah_." Cisco replied hesitantly, and he realised his mistake when some officers looked around with dread written all over their faces- especially when one older cop in the corner signed the cross in front of her chest, praying to god, causing Cisco's face to blanch. "Yeah, they will."

"How are we supposed to trust anything from Star Labs after you nuked the city?" One cop piped in, causing others to agree in response.

"You're right." Wells said. "You're right, you shouldn't trust us. What happened a year ago, that was _our_ fault. And we can't change the past, as much as we wish we could. But tomorrow is a different story. Tomorrows a different thing. We just want the chance to make things better."

"Observe," Cisco said, as he pulled down some goggles onto his face, aiming for the dummy dressed up like a cop at the end of the hall, one of the shields protecting it. He fired the prototype cold gun, the shield impervious to its effects, leaving the dummy in one piece. There were a few gasps, and then small clapping as they saw it worked. But Captain Singh still seemed to be hesitant.

"Dummies are one thing. My officers are another." Captain Singh told Cisco before walking off, causing him to sigh in defeat.

Joe stayed behind, hanging around to chat with Dr. Wells. "You seem pleased with yourself, Doctor."

"Well, I'm just happy to help the police catch Snart, Joe," Wells stated.

"Barry might be able to help too."

"I think Cisco's heat shields are more than up to the task. Sophia is also on standby in-case that doesn't seem to cut it." Dr. Wells reassured Joe, who still seemed hesitant with the plan. "And Joe, if Barry feels he's gonna endanger lives by taking on Snart, and conversely, feels he's gonna save lives by training to take on the man in yellow, that's ultimately his call."

"You know what makes Barry so special? He wants to help everyone he can, _however_ he can. Always has. Until now." Joe said, knowing that Barry wouldn't have backed out of the fight against Snart, unless he was influenced by someone, and he had spoken to Sophia that morning already knowing that if anything she would have supported him.

"I guess it's just a question of priorities then." Wells declared.

"You know, Barry said the _exact_ same thing to me," Joe said incredulously, narrowing his eyes slightly at Wells. "And I thought, doesn't sound like him. I guess because it sounds like you." And with that Joe walked out of there, fuming that the real reason Barry had backed out was ultimately because of Wells. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that something fishy was going on surrounding Wells, and he didn't like it.

Not. One. Bit.

* * *

Sophia was waiting on stand-by with Cisco and Joe at the CCPD wondering when Snart would make his move. She had her suit on underneath her clothes, ready to make a quick getaway when needed. It had been a few hours, and she was slowly getting bored, nodding off occasionally in Barry's lab, where she was chilling with Cisco whilst Joe hunted down some leads.

Sophia was just about to go grab something from Jitters when Joe came running in the room, with details of a 911 call at a private air strip owned by the Rathaways. Cisco and Joe took to the police cars, while Sophia swapped her regular clothes for her alter egos, and flying out to the site within minutes, impressing herself. It was only while she was flying there did she realise that she had forgotten her com. back at Star Labs, meaning she wouldn't have any guidance throughout this fight.

She had arrived at the scene just before the police, spotting Cold immediately, but also someone next to him. Both of them had guns. She took a deep breath, looking around for the perfect vantage point. She flew down towards them, building up her momentum, getting as close as she could without crashing into them, and blasted them with a giant pulse of energy. Cold had the initiative to duck, deflecting the hit through his cautious behaviour, his counter-part not so much as he was sent flying back, hitting the hard ground. Snart immediately fired up his gun, aiming it at Sophia, the cold blasting out and hitting a strong blast of her own that she had aimed at him, the two bright blue hue's burning against each other in their battle to gain dominance. He turned the power up, and the pressure of the blast against her barrier pushed her back slightly, her feet struggling to keep their position on the ground. She held her ground, eyes glowing sapphire as she mustered up her strength, pushing on as she moved forward, making distance when Snart's friend got back up, attacking her from the side with a fire gun, something she hadn't expected. She flinched at the heat, flying up in the air as her right arm sleeve was singed, her skin in agonising pain, like she had been set her on fire. She gritted her teeth in pain, forming a ball of energy in her hand, the cobalt electricity crackling as she catapulted it towards Snart's accomplice, the energy exploding before his feet, blinding him momentarily as the attack shocked him. This gave the police enough time to get into the fight, all of them firing at both Snart and Mick, leaving them distracted as bullets ricocheted all around them.

"Snart, Freeze!" Joe called out as he arrived on the scene, his gun aimed at Snart.

"Mick," Snart called out needing back-up as he fired at the police, and Mick focused his attention on the squadron that was forming a barricade with their shields.

"Why do they call you people the heat? I'm the heat!" Mick bellowed out madly, a manic laughter rumbling through his chest. He recklessly aimed his gun, shooting the fire out like a mad man at the officers before him. Most of them had their shields up, protecting them from both blasts, but there were a handful that got caught in the fire, receiving vicious burns. Joe called them back to retreat before it was too late. Sophia swooped back in just in time to create a barrier around the cops giving them enough time to get away, protecting them from the onslaught of fire that was so desperate to burn them.

" _It's beautiful_ ," Mick breathed out as the illuminating burnt orange fire exploded against the barrier, creating a mesh of golden and cobalt gas. She was frustrated that she couldn't attack them, only keep up the force field up to protect the others behind her, otherwise they'd all be smoked. Joe had managed to get a hit in, his bullet flying through the barrier as Sophia let it through, hitting Mick's gun, making it splutter, failing to work. Mick banged on the gun with an anger that frightened Sophia, as he tried to get it working again, but alas, he failed to do so. The damage had been done, and he was left defenceless. But Sophia's luck had run out as Snart kept his cold gun firing against her shields, and for a moment, she could see her barrier crackle from the pressure of the absolute zero temperatures produced by the cold gun.

"Mick, Mick, MICK! We go now." Snart yelled, frustrated that Mick didn't listen to orders. The Flash wasn't going to show up, and if they stayed there any longer, either the police or this newbie would get through, and he wasn't ready to see that happen. But he knew that he would be seeing this blue beauty again, it was just a question of place and time, and he was sure that he would get even. Mick nodded reluctantly, grunting as he fell back into line with Snart as they fled, leaving behind the distressed and damaged cops.

Sophia brought down the shield, letting it dissipate, falling apart like droplets of rain before flying out of there, ignoring Joe's calls as she kept her head down feeling guilty that she had let Snart get away, and in the process some of his men had to be treated for burns that could have been prevented if she had taken them out.

* * *

Sophia crashed landed on her apartment rooftop, stumbling over her feet as she tried to maintain her balance. Her right arm was burning like hell and had only gotten worse on the way over. She clutched at her arm with a pressure that was agonising, getting down to her apartment without being noticed by anyone, slamming her front door as she entered. She tore of her mask with her hand, leaving a smudge of blood on the dark material as she stumbled into her bathroom, letting the concealment fall to the ground.

She looked in her mirror, examining the wound on her upper arm. "Shit." She cursed, tearing the half singed sleeve off and throwing it to the side. She grabbed her hand towel, drowning it in cold water from her tap and pressed it to her wound, the soft skin stinging as it made contact with the damp cloth, but soothing it to a bearable degree from the coolness of the water. She walked into her closet, desperately pulling at her drawers to find her first aid kit.

Once she had spotted the box, she grabbed it, walking into her kitchen and dumping all her supplies on the table as she tried to fix herself up. She had run out of antiseptic and she needed to clean the wound to make sure it didn't get infected. With a grimace she pulled out a bottle of alcohol from her pantry, figuring it would have to do for now. _What a crappy nurse you are, you don't even have spare tools lying around._ She opened the half empty bottle with her teeth, before taking a deep shaky breath and pouring it on her wound, biting down on her lip hard to stop herself from screaming. _You deserve this_ a part of her mind told her, as she cringed in pain. A wave of nausea hit her, and she felt dizzy as she sat at the bench, clutching the side of the table to keep her balance. With deep breaths she managed to calm her heart rate, but she knew that her blood pressure was low, and that's why she was feeling so faint. She shoved a clean bandage on top, applying as much pressure as she could for now, trying to get the wound to settle down and stop bleeding. She should have gone straight to Star Labs to get herself fixed up, but there was guilt and embarrassment sitting in the pit of her stomach after failing to stop Snart, and getting bested by the bastard with him named Mick who had a flamethrower of all things. She knew that she was punishing herself. Since the events at Christmas, and not being able to protect _anyone_ she had been pushing herself harder, and she was starting to be reckless. She knew that she would get a lecture from the others, whether it be Joe, or Caitlin or even Barry for that matter. She should have just gone to Caitlin to get herself healed, but she was stubborn and there was a part of her that truly believed she deserved to be in pain.

She took a few deep breaths, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she carefully removed the bandage to take a look at the fleshy skin on her arm, the vision of torn skin, and red making her queasy. Just as she was about to grab an ointment to apply from her kit, there was a rush of wind and Barry was standing before her with an unreadable expression on his face. She didn't say anything to him, just grabbed the tube of ointment, opening it with one hand and slathering it on a clean bandage and placing it on her arm with a gasp of pain. He moved forward with wide eyes as he inspected her wound, helping her patch it up.

"Soph," He whispered softly, feeling guilty that he had let her take on Snart by herself. He knew that even by himself he couldn't stop Snart, he had been in the villain business much longer than they had been in the hero one, so it was going to take a lot more before they could put him down for good.

"It's okay now," Sophia breathed out, her head down, hair in her face as she took deep breaths, trying to mask her pain.

"What happened?" Barry asked, as he wrapped her arm up for her, securing the bandage tight. His chest filled with a pain he could only describe as anxiety as he watched her squirm in pain as he secured the dressing.

"Snart wasn't alone, h-he had another guy, with a flamethrower and things got out of hand," Sophia gritted through her teeth. She was angry at herself for not being able to end things then and there.

"No, I mean why you go to Star Labs? Caitlin could have fixed you up." Barry looked around her apartment to see her bloody mask on the floor, and bandages laying everywhere, some soaked in blood which made his own run cold.

"I-I," Sophia exhaled, pursing her lips. "I wasn't able to stop him," she choked out, breathing hard, and Barry placed a hand on her cheek, tilting her head towards him, her eyes meeting his. Just by looking at her, he knew her answer. She felt guilty for letting Snart go and so she was punishing herself by coming home and not going to Caitlin to get stitched up. Before Christmas this wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't have crashed and burned like this emotionally, but ever since that day she had been second guessing herself and doubting her ability as a hero every chance she got.

"Don't blame yourself, you may not have taken out Snart, but Joe said you saved a lot of lives." Sophia sighed, leaning into his hand, and he moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, careful not to hurt her arm even further.

"I-I can't stop him by myself."

"So we'll do it together," Barry said, and she grasped onto him tight, never wanting to let go.

* * *

Back at their hideout in an abandoned warehouse Mick sat at his work desk, examining his flamethrower, as he had just finished repairing it. "The cop's bullet ruptured the secondary internal fuel chamber."

"It could've been worse."

"You were right to get me to learn every part and circuit of this thing. Repairing it was _a snap_." Mick said, a smirk upon his lips. He pressed a button, the gun whirring up as it was ready to fire. He stood up immediately aiming the gun directly in Snart's face, only to have Snart do the same, pointing the cold gun at him. "Give me one reason I don't kill you right now." It was silent for a minute, both of them staring each other down, as they waited for someone to make the next move, ready to attack each other if need be.

"It's gonna be hard to find someone else to listen to your winning speeches." Snart sneered at Mick. "You lost it out there, just like the last job. You lost focus, became _obsessed._ "

"I'm obsessed? What about you? You're usually counting the seconds, got the whole thing planned out, dotting the t's and crossing the I's." Mick said, his manic sate confused, causing Snart to roll his eyes. "But all you care about now is The Flash."

"We have to put him down." Snart said and Mick clenched his jaw.

"Why? We got the finger painting." He said, inclining his head toward the painting they had successfully stolen from the Rathaways making them 25 million richer.

"It's worth millions. It's ours. We're rich. Job done."

"And what about the next job, Mick? And the job after that? With weapons like these, no one can stand against us, no one expect The Flash, and the blue beauty who attacked us today." Snart said, trying to convince him to see reason. "If you want out, take the painting and go. But if you want Central City to be our home, where we can do and take whatever we want. This is our chance. Your chance."

"Mmm. Very motivational." Mick mused, dropping his gun and Snart visibly relaxed his shoulders, placing his gun down as well.

"How do we get him?" Mick asked.

"The flash isn't so different from us. He's got partners too." Snart said with a smirk, knowing exactly which beauties he'd be taking hostage, a certain girl that looked like hell in high heels. It was time to visit some old friends.

* * *

Sophia had just paid Caitlin a visit, getting her wound dressing fixed up, and Caitlin reported that it should be healed within the next few days, as the burns were worse than expected. She hadn't received a lecture from the young doctor, and she was surprised beyond belief. But she figured that Barry had called ahead, and informed her of the situation.

Caitlin then told Sophia she had a meeting with someone who might be able to provide some more insight to what happened to Ronnie and why the last thing he mentioned was firestorm. She offered to go with her, knowing that Caitlin seemed hesitant to go alone, but Caitlin insisted that she have the meeting by herself. So there Sophia was, drinking hot chocolate in a corner seat at Jitters while Caitlin had a meeting with some guy named Jason Rush. Sophia watched them for a distance, making sure that Caitlin was perfectly safe, hoping that this guy wasn't a total psycho, after all he was somehow involved in some pretty insane scientific experiments.

Caitlin had a nervous expression on her face when the meeting finished and Sophia walked up to her, leaving the half empty mug on the table.

"Everything okay?" She asked and Caitlin nodded in response.

"I think we should discuss it back at Star Labs." Caitlin said and Sophia nodded, both of them walking out into the chilly night and to her car. Sophia didn't even make the few metres left to her car before something slammed into the back of her head, knocking her out cold, her vision spiralling into an abyss of darkness in an instant.

A cold gun then fired at Caitlin's car, freezing the door shut. "Car trouble?" Captain Cold asked, with a smirk on his face as Caitlin saw Sophia's crumpled form on the floor, and tried desperately to open her door with no luck, screaming her lungs out as Snart and Mick came closer. They knocked her out as well, taking both the girls' hostage, ready to lure The Flash in once and for all.

Snart smirked as he stared down at the unconscious body of Sophia Lang. He knew that there was no way his plan wouldn't work. The Flash had a weakness, and he was going to milk it as much as he could.

Things were certainly looking up.

* * *

"Why would they kidnap someone like Caitlin?"

"Joe, Thawne, it's on every station," An officer said, turning the TV on, shocking the faces of everyone in the department.

The screen turned on to showcase both Caitlin and Sophia bound, taken hostage by Captain Cold and Heat Wave. Anger coursed through Barry as he saw Sophia there, his vision was red. There was no record of her being taken, but then it started to make sense why she hadn't called him all day… and boy was he ready to take down Captain Cold. Nothing could stop him now until he got his friends back and safe.

" _Greetings_ , citizens of Central City," Snart announced, a jovial smile plastered on his face.

"I, am Leonard Snart. But you can call me _Cold_. I'm gonna make this very simple for everyone. That red streak you've been hearing whispers about, the one _mysteriously_ saving people these past few months? Well surprise! He's real." Snart said in a very comical voice, enjoying every second which made Barry and Joe sick to their stomachs as they saw their friends on screen.

"He calls himself the Flash. Porter and main. Tonight. Sundown. Come out, come out wherever you are Flash. Show the whole world you're real." He announced, pulling Sophia forward, who glared at Snart. "Or this woman dies." He said, pointing the cold gun at her head. "And possibly this one too," Snart continued, as Mick pulled Caitlin up harshly by her arm, dragging her in front of the camera next to Sophia. "I don't know how I'll decide. The nurse, or the doctor? Who will it be?" Snart said, bringing his hand up to caress Sophia's cheek, knowing that it would fire up The Flash even more.

"No, don't come." Sophia yelled out and Caitlin called out as well "Stay away!" and that was all that came out before the video feed cut off.

Barry clenched his fist in his hand, breathing heavily as the transmission cut out. Rage didn't even begin to describe his emotional state right now.

"We need to get them, and _now_ ," Barry gritted with a strained voice.

"Listen Barry, you focus on getting Snart and Mick, I'll have the rest of the force focused on finding them." When Barry didn't respond to Joe, he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bar, they are strong, _both_ of them. They'll be alright. We'll find them." Joe promised, and Barry nodded, determined to get them back and stop Snart once and for all.

* * *

"You're a friend of his huh?" Mick asked as he secured the tight knots of rope around Sophia's ankles, and her wrists behind her back. She huffed in response, and he pulled on the hard material tighter, causing her discomfort, especially when her arm moved at an awkward angle, causing her injury to inflame, sending pain trickling through the area. "He's fast, like fire. Fire… it's undefinable. Heat. Light. Energy. It's an evolution when things burn," Mick went on, describing fire as though it was his life… like some sort of godly mantra, that he repeated to himself each day. He was clearly insane, and that frightened Sophia more than anything. She knew Cold, he was calculating and heartless, but he never did anything without reason. Mick on the other hand seemed to be careless and reckless, more inclined to act on instinct rather than logic.

"Not sure if you realised that you're sick," Caitlin threw in from her seat on the other side of the room. She could see the pain on Sophia's face, and she was trying to distract Mick from paying attention to her.

"Maybe you're the sick ones? You ever think about that?" Mick sneered, turning his head to look at Caitlin.

"Not really." Caitlin said, and he turned his attention to her, just as she wanted, moving forward to crouch by her side.

"You've got third degree burns. Why didn't you get skin grafts?" Caitlin asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she saw the lumpy scars that were imprinted on his skin.

"The fire revealed my true self, showed me who I really am." Mick said, and Sophia rolled her eyes at his dramatic flair. He was truly sick in the head. "I wonder what your Flash will reveal when I burn his skin and suit off." At his last comment Sophia's blood started to boil. She clenched her jaw, glaring at him with a ferocity burning deep in her eyes that she hadn't known was there before.

"Do whatever the hell you want to me, but don't you _dare_ touch him." Sophia struggled against the bindings, wanting nothing more than to attack them but if she did she'd not only put Caitlin in danger but she would risk them discovering her true identity.

"You and this Flash must be _really close_ if you're willing to die for him, hmm?" Mick's face was disgustingly close to her, and all she could do was glare at him, when in reality she wanted to punch him. "You want me to show you who you really are? That'd be fun," Mick taunted as he pulled out a lighter, putting the flame closer to her skin, her heart rate accelerating as the heat started to leave an uncomfortable pressure on her skin the longer he held it next to her neck.

"Go ahead, I've got nothing to lose," She taunted, knowing full well that he would probably do it anyway. She was beyond angry at these two, and she wasn't going to let him intimidate her.

"Mick," Snart called, stopping him from hurting the hostages. Mick kept his eyes on Sophia, closing the lighter, and standing up. "Time to go." With that, Mick had ripped off two pieces of tape, placing them roughly on their mouths to keep them shut. Caitlin struggled against it, trying to get it off, and Sophia just kept her eyes on Mick, glaring at him every second he stood there. She swore that if he had hurt Barry, she didn't know what she would do. She felt that the longer this went on, her morals were slowly slipping down the drain, the once caring nurse being transformed into a darker person when dealing with these villains.

"No hard feelings sweetheart, only a little bit of payback for our last encounter," Snart whispered in Sophia's ear as he leaned down to her height.

"You better pray the next people that come through this door is us." Mick left with a smirk, putting together the final piece of their trap, which was a piece of tripwire, that if set off, would ignite the bomb that was sitting underneath the chairs that Caitlin and Sophia were strapped to. Caitlin sent Sophia a panicked look and Sophia closed her eyes, trying to focus and try to set them both free now that they were alone in the warehouse.

Sophia took a deep breath through her nose, trying to relax her body, and focus.

Caitlin looked over at Sophia in worry, as she heard her take deep breaths, which sounded more like she was wheezing. She watched her unable to do anything at all… and that's when Sophia opened her eyes, the golden brown swapped for an iridescent sapphire that seemed to grow bright by the second. Her hair started to float, hovering above her neck causing Caitlin to stare in awe.

Sophia focused her mind on one thought, on one action. Her eyes became brighter and brighter, and slowly a small pulse of energy started to emanate of her body. The waves of energy slowly rolled off her, flowing through the air, leaving rings of cobalt that hung in the air. Her focus was slowly paying off as with time, the energy worked its way against the bindings on her legs and arms, the electricity singing off the rope. As soon as her hands were free, she brought them up to her mouth, tearing off the tape, and smacking her lips uncomfortably.

"It worked," Sophia breathed out with a victorious smile. She ran over to Caitlin, making sure to watch out for any traps, and got to work zapping off her rope, and taking the tape of her mouth.

"That was incredible, how did you-?" Caitlin begun to ask and Sophia cut her off.

"I-I don't know, I was trying to focus on something Barry once said about his powers, how it's a part of you, its fluid, interchangeable, and well…" She shrugged her shoulders, sighing with a smile.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Sophia said, and Caitlin nodded eagerly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Alright, I need you to hold onto me as tight as you can, and don't let go," Sophia instructed Caitlin, and she looked at her quizzically, wondering what she could have been referring to, and then opening her mouth in realisation. They were going to fly out of there. Caitlin stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Sophia's neck, as though she was hugging her. Sophia put her arms around Caitlin's torso, locking her hands around her back.

"Okay, so don't freak out." Sophia mumbled.

"Okay," Caitlin breathed out, letting out a small squeal as they started to hover, flying over the tripwire, and safely onto the other side of the warehouse. Sophia set them down slowly, and their feet touched the ground, thankful they didn't have to go far, after all, she didn't have super strength, so flying with Caitlin in her arms would be too much trouble considering she was injured.

Once they had touched the ground, the two girls moved to open to the door and get out of there when they heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. Caitlin threw Sophia a panicked look, and she grabbed the red head, pulling them behind some empty craters to hide. They stood there, Sophia's hand over Caitlin's mouth as she tried to keep their position concealed.

"Sophia, Caitlin!" They heard their names, and Sophia scrunched up her face. _Was that Joe?_ They moved out of their hiding spot cautiously, and spotted Cisco and Joe in the middle of the warehouse.

"Over here," Sophia called out, but evidently not nearly loud enough. Cisco had walked up to see where they had broken out of their ties, triggering the tripwire. Sophia yelled at Joe and with a distressed look he pulled Cisco back, Sophia throwing up a force field in front of them as the small bomb exploded on the other side, contained inside the blue barrier.

"Holy shit," Cisco breathed out, as he backed away from the blast on the ground, Joe next to him. Sophia and Caitlin ran up to them, helping them up off the ground once the blast had subsided. Cisco immediately pulled them both in for a hug.

"Oh thank god you two are alright," Cisco sighed, as he continued to hug them. Sophia laughed and shook her head.

"You're the one who nearly got his head blown off," Sophia pointed out.

" _Yeah_ , I really should be more observant."

"Sure got that right," Joe commented, giving Sophia a hug, glad that she was alright. He hadn't seen her since the big fight with Snart the previous day, and he was relieved to see that she was fine.

"I think it's time we get out of this place," Caitlin said, and they all nodded in agreement, heading out and back to Joe's car parked outside.

"Where's Barry?" Sophia asked Joe, buckling in the front seat of his patrol car.

"He's taking on Cold right now," Joe replied, and Sophia felt anxious all over again. One problem just seemed to lead to the next. "Don't worry, Well's is helping him on this one, and we think we've found a way to stop them."

"Okay, we should get back to Star Labs though, just in case."

"You got it boss." And with that they were on their way.

* * *

Sophia was now sitting in her chair at Star Labs, waiting for Barry to arrive. By the time they had gotten there, Wells had announced that Barry had successfully taken out Captain Cold and Heat Wave. By crossing their streams, the cold and heat had cancelled each other out because they were absolute opposites. Barry was still at the scene, though this time as a CSI and not The Flash, finalising some stuff with Joe.

So there she was, spinning around in her chair, bored out of her mind. The last few days had not gone according to plan at all, and she was beginning to wonder if this was going to be a norm for her. Would the rest of her life, be running up and down between jobs, her social life, and her super-hero life? Considering this life had brought her a new family she didn't mind, and if it meant being with Barry then she didn't care at all. She was just about ready to fall asleep then and there in the chair, being the only one left in Star Labs when Barry came running in. He spotted her sleepy form on the chair, and she stood up when she noticed him in the room.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Barry sighed in relief, pulling her close to him for a hug. He wrapped his arms round her, holding her tight. She chuckled at this, and relaxed into his touch.

"Me too," She hummed. "About you I mean."

"I know." He laughed softly, moving back so he could see her. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and just enjoying the moment. Every second he had been away from her since her kidnapping, he couldn't shake the anxiety and worry about her safety, but now that she was here, and in his arms, he could finally relax.

"I think from now on, we should work more closely together, as a team," Barry suggested. He noticed that they hadn't actually fought any battles together, always separated in some way, shape or form, and he decided that they needed to change things around here if they wanted to become better.

"Mmm a team, I like the sound of that." Sophia nodded and Barry smiled, leaning down for a kiss, but she moved back as he came forward, placing a finger on his lips. "But before any of _that_ , mind dropping me off at home? Poor chewie needs to be fed, it's getting late," Sophia asked, knowing that if Barry kissed her now, she wouldn't want to let go, and she would probably forget about her pet.

"One small kiss?" Barry asked, and she shook her head with a cheeky smile on her face as he pouted.

"After, I promise."

"You better," he said giving her a pointed look, and she only smiled at him, until he whisked her away to her apartment.

She had followed through with her promise later that night, and that's how they ended up on her couch, falling asleep in each other's arms, limbs intertwined and all, with the promise of a new day.

 **A/N –**

 **I cannot believe that this story has reached 85 followers, it is absolutely insane. Not what I have expected at all, and I love you guys. Also, this story has reached over 100k words. How amazing is that? I have a feeling, once this is done, it'll be nearly 200k... i write too much. :')**

 **Special thanks to my number one fan, and friend, Shadowhunters12, who has been an amazing supporter of this story, and has posed all the hard questions to get me thinking more about what this story can be.**

 **Special thanks to** _ **MyOwnPersonalHeaven, Neonkoi, Purplemonkey36, Kailaabee, Random Fox Grrl, Shadowkat136, Luighseach, mintcondish, PurpleDilemma, LittleMagpie, kellbell79, BeyondItachi, XXArmageddonXX, Billie Hale Winchester, Myujikjaru Sakura, paolasalas-forever, animexchick, limarie, xLoverX, jessieangy, Rantuff, Aria868, MissDamagedGooods, Springflowerangel, speedy00, j8628j, hrodenhaver, Kingdom Hearts Slayer, Takara Matsudaira and pyrolin for the favourites and follows! Welcome to the club. X**_

 **Glad that you all enjoyed the last chapter, especially with all the drama. Hope this one lived up to what you all expected. I loved writing the angst with Sophia. She's still coming to terms with her failure at Christmas, and its affecting her ability as a hero for sure, and this chapter sort of explores it a little bit.**

 **Also Anna is missing! Interesting stuff that will come to light soon…**

 **And of course, Snart's a bit fascinated by the new hero on the block, and Sophia Lang, what he doesn't know is that they're the same person. Exciting stuff.**

 **Can't wait to hear your thoughts, it's always the best part of an update.**

 **Replies:**

 **Natalie: I'm first aiming on finishing season 1 as this story, and planning a sequel that will be season 2, but I have no idea when it will be out. It might be a few months after this story is done, as I'll just be too busy with studying and working to write. There is a supergirl x flash crossover coming in a few weeks which is exciting, and from there I will decide if I'll include supergirl in a chapter prior to their first meeting. Make sense? Thank you for the review again.**

 **Purplemonkey86: Glad you think so! It's hard writing a relationship and making it seem… real.**

 **Turtleiker42: Yeah, it made me sad too, haha, all the drama takes a toll on the feels.**

 **Takara Matsudaira: That is seriously like the best compliment ever, I love you. So glad that you are enjoying the story, and loving that she's her own person. I'm trying to make her as unique as possible to keep it interesting and of course to develop her character.**

 **Kingdom Hearts Slayer: Thank you for the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **TabloidTeen: I know! Even though I am terrified of heights, I would love to fly. Because you're in control, and it would just make it so amazing. So jealous of Sophia. Hope you loved this update. X**

 **Animexchick: Glad you think so! They are pretty adorable, and I always love writing a good cheesy romance. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter.**


	14. Haunting History

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Oh! Barry, there's an intersection coming up," Caitlin said as she tried to help point him in the right direction. He was currently running after a few perps on motorbikes, finding it hard to catch them all when they were zooming in and out of the streets, through the heavy traffic. "Hurry!"

"This should slow 'em down," Cisco said, as he pressed a few buttons, turning the lights from green to red. This didn't seem to do anything, in fact it confused them all even more because the two motorbikes split up, going in opposite directions as they tried to get away, leading Barry unsure of which direction to head in.

"Guys, which way?" Barry yelled, confused as to which direction they had headed in.

"Left," Cisco said as Caitlin replied at the same time. "Right."

"Right," Cisco corrected, Caitlin now changing to "Left."

"Stop!" Sophia yelled through her comm. "Some of us are also trying to focus here guys." And with that Cisco apologised sheepishly through the comm.

"You both hear you're telling me two different things right?" Barry asked, trying to get a clear answer form the two.

"Barry, listen up." And at this Sophia had turned her comm. off for the moment, trying to focus on what she was doing. She was on the other side of Central City, trying to deal with what looked like a suicide jumper off one of the tallest buildings in the area. Her body moved effortlessly through the air, gliding like a bird, her hair rippling in waves behind her as the wind threaded through her brown locks. She focused her eyes, allowing them to glow their usual cobalt, basically acting as her own personal night vision goggles. _That's better._ She took a sharp left turn, circling around the building that she was headed toward to, figuring it'd be smarted to face the person rather than be behind them. When arriving up there, planting her feet slowly on the ground of the rooftop she saw that there was more company than originally perceived.

There were two people up there in fact. One with a gun, and the victim standing on the edge of the rooftop, obviously, trying not to die. _Another day, another psycho._

"Really man," Sophia commented to herself as she walked up behind the assailant with the gun, causing him to jerk backwards, turning around and aiming the gun at her, frightened as she appeared out of nowhere.

"Stay where you are, or I-I'll shoot," His shaky voice rang out. He didn't seem like your typical criminal, but then she noticed the blood shot eyes, the rolled up sleeves, and the dark bruises on his arm. _Great a druggie, and he's high while committing his crimes. Genius planning there folks._

"Hey, hey, easy. No need to get violent," Sophia said, holding her hands up in front of her, the perfect strategical position. He thought she was being submissive, but in fact she had the perfect aim to knock the gun out of his hands, and catch the victim from falling off the ledge- if need be. "Why don't you put the gun down and we can talk about this alright?" Sophia suggested, placing one foot forward to try and step closer to the guy, and that's when he got agitated and pointed his gun back at the victim. _Dammit._

"Move any closer, and I'll shoot him."

"Alright. Staying where I am," Sophia said, acting as though she wouldn't move at all. She formed a tiny ball of electrical energy in her hand, aiming it at the weapon in his hand. It hit him a moment later, causing the gun to go sailing in the air, falling to the ground on the other side of the rooftop. As soon as this happened, the mugger came running forward towards her, ready to attack and she effortlessly surrounded him in a bubble. At first he looked confused, and then he was just furious as he banged against the force field trying to get out. The victim looked over in fear as he watched what she did to the mugger, but relaxing at the prospect of it all being over.

"T-Thank you so much," the guy said to Sapphire, and she nodded with a smile. He looked no older than 25 years old, probably around her age if she was guessing. She walked over to him, ignoring the other guy who kept screaming that he wanted to get out. She held out her hand to him, and he grabbed onto it, carefully walking over, into the middle of the rooftop, safe away from the ledge.

"No need, it's my job." Sophia gave him a reassuring smile, before placing the guy who she know found out was named Lucas, in a bubble of his own, levitating them as she flew down, transporting them to ground level. She let Lucas out, who just seemed to be staring at her in awe, as she used her powers.

"The CCPD will be here soon." Lucas nodded silently, unsure of what more to say, and as she had predicted, seconds later, she could hear the sirens. She grabbed a pair of hand-cuffs off a police officer, cuffing the mugger as she released the force field, not wanting him to cause any more trouble that night.

"Officers," She inclined her head in their direction, giving them a nod of thanks as she handed over the suspect.

"Sapphire." They acknowledged and with that she bent her knees, shooting up into the sky like a rocket as she flew back to Star Labs, hoping to arrive before Barry, which was usually unlikely considering he had super-speed. She had perfected her landings over time, not having no issue at all as she came to a slow and steady descent, hovering just enough off the ground to get through the doors of Star Labs, flying through the halls and into the cortex.

"Finally, we've been waiting for you!" Cisco exclaimed, and Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if you weren't so busy getting directions wrong with the scarlet speedster over there, you would've been able to talk me through some stuff," Sophia countered, taking off her mask and placing it on the table beside her, stretching her muscles as she lowered herself onto the ground, walking around like a normal person.

"Come on, we need a picture."

"Pretty sure rule number one of having a secret identity is not taking picture of yourself in your super suit without a mask on," Barry stated, raising his eyebrows at Cisco's comment.

"True that," Sophia chimed in. "Plus my hair is a total mess from flying around everywhere," Sophia commented, as she tried to pat it down lightly, and make it look slightly more presentable. Barry ran over behind her, pulling her into a bear hug from behind sending chills down her spine as he held her close, his touch never failing to get her heart racing.

"You always look beautiful." She rolled her eyes and he pressed his lips to her cheek for a second too long, receiving a blush on her cheeks in response.

"Oh, come on! _Please_?! This is just for us," Cisco pleaded, and Sophia sighed, rolling her eyes as she walked forward out of Barry's hold to stand next to Cisco, ready for a photo. "Come on Barry, this is to document all this. Who knows? Maybe people in the future will want to know how this all happened."

"All right, well if you want the future to have the whole story, then we all need to be in it," Dr. Wells said.

"First, let me put on some makeup?" Caitlin asked.

"The future does not care about your makeup." Both Caitlin and Sophia rolled their eyes and Sophia whispered over to Caitlin that she looked great, and there was nothing to worry about. Caitlin sent Sophia a grateful smile, and they all gathered up close, getting into their positions.

"Big smiles. Three, two, one." Barry called out, pressing the button on the camera, running back just in time for the flash to go off and then running back to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Ha!"

"Does that count as a selfie?" Caitlin asked, and Barry nodded as he looked over at the photo, proud that he had taken such a good shot of the team.

"Absolutely," He replied. Cisco grabbed the phone of Barry, gaining the biggest grin as he checked it out.

"Sick." Cisco proclaimed and Sophia laughed giving him a high-five as she walked around to the table. Her phone went off a second later, and she pulled it out of her pocket, answering it.

"Hello." She answered, and she was surprised to hear her dad's voice on the other side of the phone. She usually spoke to him a few times a week, but lately having been busy with work and Star Labs she felt ashamed that she hadn't spoken to him properly in over two weeks. She reverted back to Cantonese, a language that her father preferred to speak in, something he felt comfortable with having grown up with it. She told him she was sorry that she hadn't called in so long, and he teased her saying that he was still alive and well, wondering when she would come visit him next. He lived in a small country town, a few hours' drive out of Metropolis, in Kansas and she hadn't been to properly visit him since just after the particle accelerator explosion in December 2013. As she continued her conversation with him, Barry looked over at her in complete and utter surprise. He had no idea that she could speak another language, let alone so fluently, and that made him feel guilty, knowing that she had always taken so much effort to get to know everything about him, but there was still a lot of Sophia's family life that he had no idea about.

"Is she speaking Chinese?" Barry asked dumbfounded, and Cisco stopped what he was doing, looking over and listening in to hear what she was saying, which was quite difficult considering that Sophia had a motor mouth when it came to speaking other languages.

"Uh- no, well sorta, Cantonese actually to be specific," Cisco clarified.

"I didn't even know that she spoke another language."

"Oh no, buddy she speaks five," Cisco chuckled at Barry's naivety.

Barry blinked looking between his girlfriend and Cisco. "Five?" Barry said with a deadpan expression. _She is way out of your league Allen._

"Yeah, five."

"If I remember correctly, she's fluent in French, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese _and_ Latin," Caitlin listed off. "Even though Latin is sort of a dead language," she said shrugging her shoulders. "Not to mention English of course, then it would be six."

Sophia had finished with her conversation, promising her dad that she would call him back again in the next few days. With a sad smile she told him that she missed him, and that she loved him. After she hung up, she stared at the phone in her hand, feeling guilty that she had been such a hopeless daughter, not having called in such a long time. She felt especially bad since he lived on his own, and there wasn't anyone to check up on him. Barry noticed that she had gone silent and walked up to her, putting his hand on her shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Hey, everything alright."

"Hmm. Yeah, yeah I-I uh, just haven't spoken to my dad in a while, and I feel guilty," Sophia admitted, giving Barry a small smile.

"I didn't know you spoke Cantonese," Barry stated, changing the subject, and she scrunched up her nose as she thought about it, something Barry found adorable.

"Oh." She said, forgetting that she'd never mentioned it. "Well I guess you know now," She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Cisco said you speak over five languages, how could I have never known that?" Barry felt guilty that he didn't know, like he hadn't gotten to know her enough. He knew what kind of coffee she liked, that she named her cat chewie after Chewbacca from Star Wars because ever since she was a kid she's had an obsession with the whole saga, he knew that she sometimes had to wear glasses because she hated putting contacts in, claiming that whoever invented them were the spawns of the devil, but he didn't know that her dad lived in Kansas, or that she spoke five languages, and even though it was just small things like these, he felt like a horrible boyfriend for not knowing.

"Well… I don't like to flaunt it. I had a talent for it, so I studied them during high school… extra credit and all. Plus the only people I usually speak in other languages with are my patients, or my dad… and my second cousin in Metropolis when she feels like being secretive," Sophia said, yawning as she did so. Patrol was tiring, especially after working a 12 hour shift at the hospital.

"You have a second cousin that lives in metropolis?" Barry asked, with a surprised expression on his face. Sophia didn't like to talk about her family all that much, and he wondered if it was because it was as painful as his.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure I've mentioned her before, Lana, Lana Lang." Barry shook his head, not remembering the name. "Oh well, not a big deal." Barry moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, lifting her up and running them both over to her apartment.

"W-what was that for?" She said, as she gripped her the arm rest of her couch where she was now sitting. She looked over at Barry and he gave her a guilty smile.

"I feel bad," Barry confessed, a small frown on his face.

"Why?" She laughed, looking at his face, unsure of what was running in that gorgeous mind of his. She grabbed his hand, rubbing circles on the back of it.

"I feel like you know so much about me, but I don't know a lot about you."

She blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course you know stuff about me."

"I know-I know, but your past, your family…" Sophia's face soured slightly, and she pursed her lips. She turned her body, her back now leaning against the couch, her body facing her TV, and not Barry.

"I-I don't like to talk about my family because I don't have a lot of it…" and she realised what a stupid statement that sounded like especially since she was talking to Barry about it, the king of family drama. "Guess it isn't fair right. I mean, you have a bad past and you've told me everything," Sophia breathed out. "I like to listen to others problems, and not talk about my own, it's a bad habit I know." She sighed, looking down at her hands in lap, turning her head to look at Barry.

"You don't have to if you're not ready," Barry said, not wanting to force her to divulging any secrets that she wasn't ready to expose.

"I'll talk, you listen?" She asked, with a sad smile and he nodded, moving closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, as they sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, leg to leg.

"My mother died when I was about 14," Sophia said softly, trying to keep her emotions in check. Every time she spoke about it, she couldn't help but cry, thus why she rarely spoke about her mother. "I was at home, by myself that night… Dad was working late, and she had gone to get us some milk and choc-chips from the shop because I _insisted_ on baking cookies that night," Sophia laughed softly, single tears slowly trickling down her cheeks, and Barry wiped them away with the pad of his thumb as she continued. "She was driving home, and as she did, she, uh, she had a heart attack… l-lost control of the car, a-and…" her voice was shaky, and she sniffed, closing her eyes to stop the tears. "We had her funeral a few days later, it hit Dad and I hard, and then it was j-just the two of us left. The hardest thing was getting through to all these milestones, and she wasn't there. Graduating high school, going off to college… becoming a nurse, h-hell becoming a superhero. I-I can't share any of that with her, and it just _hurt_ …, so I stopped talking about her, internalised it so it could never hurt me again. That's why I never talk about it, because I blame myself. I-If she had the heart attack at home… I would have been able to help her until the paramedics came, she would have been alright. B-But she wasn't, and i-it was _my_ fault," Sophia was crying at this point, her words coming out shakily, as she buried her head into Barry's shoulder, who had brought her close, wrapping his arms around her and trying to comfort her. He understood how she felt, every single emotion that had run through his own heart and soul when he lost his mother.

"I'm sorry," Barry whispered as he held her close, her grip tightening around his shoulders as she continued to cry. It was a few minutes later that she had calmed down, sniffling occasionally. She leaned back, looking at Barry with tear stained cheeks, and puffy eyes that looked tired.

"I'm sorry, god I'm such a mess," She sniffled, wiping her eyes with her palm. "It's been over ten years and I still can't talk about it without exploding into tears."

"Hey, hey, you're okay." He said, wiping the tears off her cheeks. She gave him a sad smile, and he leaned forward pressing a long kiss on her forehead. "It's not your fault, don't blame yourself for what happened. I know how you feel. God knows I did the same thing every day for at least a year when I first moved in with Joe. I probably do it now too but, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that it's not our fault, there's no way we could have controlled what happened... We should cherish the memories we did have with them, and that way they'll always have a place with us."

"You're too good to me," Sophia breathed out, leaning into Barry's touch. "I'm glad I finally told you, I-I haven't told anyone that story in a long time."

"I'm glad too." He leaned down, his lips about to touch her own when his phone went off with a repetitive beep. He groaned, and she laughed, her mood lightening up instantly.

"Are you laughing at my pain?" Barry asked squinting at her as she gave him a cheeky smile. She shook her head, the grin still stuck on her lips.

"Are you saying it's painful not to kiss me?" She asked with raised eyebrows, and Barry could see her mood shifting into one she was happy with. "That's quite the compliment Mr. Allen." Barry rolled his eyes, wanting to just lean down and kiss her, but his phone was still beeping. "I think you better check that." He sighed, pulling out his phone to see Joe messaging, needing to speak with him at the CCPD.

"I better get going."

"I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he leaned forward, surprising her as his lips landed on hers as he kissed her soundly before he left, leaving her breathless and sitting on her couch alone as he zoomed out of her apartment. _Tease,_ she thought to herself as she walked into her bedroom, changing out of her super-suit and taking a long nice shower to relax after tonight's dramas.

* * *

Sophia woke up the next morning with a text message from Cisco saying that Dr. Wells house had been trashed by someone. Her tired eyes were no longer there as she stared at the message with worry. She called Cisco immediately, asking if Wells was alright, which he was. Cisco then apologised sheepishly for not adding that into the rest of the message. He said that they would be meeting at Wells place, and she said she would get a ride with Barry, since she had no idea where Wells even lived.

It was a quarter past eight in the morning and Sophia was still lying in bed. She didn't want to get up, seeing as though it was her day off, even though she was on-call in case they needed her in at the hospital. Scrolling through her phone, she checked some emails, sending out yet another message to Anna to call her. She was getting worried, having not heard from her in a long time. She grudgingly got out of bed, jumping in the shower, and washing her hair since it wasn't salvageable at all after leaving it unwashed for three days. She scrubbed her body down with her favourite pomegranate soap, inhaling the sweet scent with delight. She didn't know why she did this, but she made a small energy bubble, with a hole at the top, filling it with water, closing the top once the bubble was full. She moved it around in her hands, the bubble fluid and flexible in shape, moving the water around inside it. She admired the sight, amazed at what her powers allowed her to do. She wondered what it would look like on a larger scale and if it was even possible, but then again, everything these days seemed possible. She levitated the bubble above her head, and with an excited smile she released it, sending a wave of water free-falling on her head. She squealed as the cold water hit her body, but laughed her heart out as she played around with her powers. _God I love this._ She then realised she had probably spent too much time in the shower, and was probably running late considering she was meant to meet the team at Wells place by 9. She squeezed the excess water out of her hair before stepping out of the shower, and wrapping her towel around her body, securing it at the front by tucking it in. She walked out of her bathroom into her bedroom, trying to find some clothes when she figured she would call Barry to save time.

Sophia then dialled Barry's number, waiting for him to pick up.

"Hey babe," Barry answered and she quirked a brow at his greeting.

" _Babe_?" she questioned scrunching up her nose in distaste as she picked out white top and a pair of dark was denim jeans, throwing it over her shoulder where it landed in a pile on her bed.

"Don't like it?" Barry asked and she could imagine the look on his face.

"Mmm. Reminds me of the movie, which I actually hated as a kid, so… yeah. It's a no from me."

"Honey bear?"

"Cliché," Sophia commented, taking a coat of her hanger, and throwing it on the growing pile of clothes that would be her outfit for the day.

"Sweetie pie?"

"Mmm no."

"Cupcake?"

" _Barry_ ," Sophia whined at his terrible nicknames and his laugh echoed in her ear, the melodious sound sending tingles down her spine.

"Lang it is," Barry decided, and she smiled, humming in agreement, glad he had stopped with all the silly names. She knew that should would only ever call him Allen or Barry, and if she did have to choose a name it would have been the flash, but then that sort of defeats the purpose of a secret identity, so she would be sticking to Allen.

"Mmm… so I wondered if I could ask a favour…"

"Shoot," Barry spoke through the phone.

"Do you mind picking me up on the way to Dr. Wells place? I have no idea where he lives," Sophia said, and he hummed a yes.

"See you in a flash," Barry assured her, not letting her get anything in before he ran over. With a sudden realisation of her current attire, she yelled into the phone for him to wait, but it was evidently too late.

"Wait-," a whoosh noise was all she heard, and Barry was standing in front of her, both of them with wide eyes she clutched the towel closer to her chest. "A second."

"O-oh my god." He swore that his face was as red as a tomato, and he felt so bad because he couldn't stop staring. "I am _so_ sorry," he said, turning around using his super speed.

"I-It's alright," She said, face palming with the hand that wasn't holding up her towel like it was her lifeline.

"I-I'm just going to go wait," Barry said pointing towards her living room and she nodded, and then made a weird look on her face at herself seeing as though he was turned around and wouldn't have even noticed her nodding her head.

"Y-yeah y-you do that." She gulped and he rushed out of there in embarrassment, sitting outside. She shut her door, sliding down against it and to the floor, her heart beating like crazy. _Oh my god whyyyyyyyy_ she thought. She sighed, getting up off the floor and getting ready as quick as she could, slipping on her grey coat to finish the outfit as she moved into the living room, throwing her hair into a braid as she rushed to get ready.

"Hey," She said, and Barry turned around, with Chewie in his arms, petting the cats back as she slipped on a pair of red converse.

"Hey, again, I'm so sorry-," Barry started to apologise, and she waved it off as she tied her laces.

"It's alright, let's just forget about it." Sophia said a rosy pink blush tinting her cheeks. They hadn't reached that stage of their relationship yet, so this was more awkward than it should have been, and she wanted to erase it from her memory. Barry nodded, and set Chewie down carefully on the floor and she ran over to her little cat tent in the corner, snuggling in her blankets.

"Guess we better get this show on the road." Barry walked over, picking her up in his arms, and one of her hands went around his neck, the other resting on his chest as he supported her back with one arm, and his other underneath her legs. "I know this is totally inappropriate and you'll probably hit me for it later, but, you have the cutest beauty spot on the top of your thigh," Barry whispered and she looked at him shocked, and he laughed before zooming them off to Wells house, not leaving any time for her to berate him.

He set her down with windswept hair as they arrived at Wells house, well across the street, so that no one would have seen Barry run in. Barry grasped Sophia's hand, intertwining their fingers as they walked across the street to see Joe pull up in his police car.

"Joe! How are you?" Sophia asked, giving him a hug. She hadn't seen him for at least two weeks, since she was kidnapped by Captain Cold.

"Good thanks, kiddo." She smiled, glad that he was alright, she was worried after everything with the Reverse-Flash that he would still be shaken up, but he seemed to be fine. They walked in together, and Sophia stared at the house in surprise. The place was huge, and she wondered why when Wells lived here by himself, but then she guessed since he had the money, why the hell not.

"Look, Joe, I apologise for all of this. It just, it really feels like a case of so much for so little," Dr. Wells explained wheeling over to the trio that had just walked in. Sophia was glad to see that he was in one piece, looking like he wasn't hit at all by the glass, which was good news. "The police should not have been called. I got a prank call before this all happened." Wells obvious protest to the police investigation cause Sophia to frown, wondering why he was so hesitant to have them check things out, _unless he knows who did it_. Sophia turned her head to Barry, only to see he wasn't there. He was inspecting a piece of glass that was laying on the tiled floor, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on analysing the way the glass had broken.

"Sort of looks like more than just a prank Doctor Wells," Sophia probed at him and he sighed, with a grimace as she kicked a bit of glass that was on the floor.

"Well, there are those who feel I did not suffer enough for the particle accelerator explosion of last year, and some of them act on it."

It was then that Caitlin and Cisco came running through the large wooden front doors, successfully making it past the police guard standing out front of the crime scene.

"Dr. Wells," Caitlin called out as she walked up to him, but was yet to receive a response as Wells looked in another direction, clearly stuck in his thoughts.

"Dr. Wells are you okay?" Caitlin asked, with a worried expression as she stepped forward, only to have him respond, turning his head to face them.

"Dr. Snow, I'm-I'm fine. A little chilly. Otherwise, I'm fine," Wells insisted, "Hello, Cisco," Wells greeted and Cisco inclined his head with a small nod in response. "Make yourselves at home as best as you can, I'm gonna make a hotel reservation."

"Oh, this place is _so_ sick," Cisco breathed out as he looked around the place with his mouth slightly agape.

"Yeah, hey, what took you guys so long?" Barry asked as he walked up to the group, an evidence bag in hand.

"We got lost. We've never been here before," Caitlin admitted, and Sophia was surprised. Caitlin had worked and known Wells much longer than she had, and she thought that she would have at least been here, even if was only once.

"Really? Never?"

"He tends to keep his private life, _private_ ," Caitlin responded and Cisco shrugged his shoulders.

It was then that Joe walked back into the house, coming up to talk to Barry and Sophia while Cisco and Caitlin took a look around at Dr. Wells place.

"I canvassed the street. No other reports of vandalism, no strange cars." Sophia frowned. It couldn't have been just some random prank, it was too calculated, too specific… too personal.

"Get this, Wells says he's right here when it happened," Joe said, pointing to the middle of the room. "All that glass shattering down around him and he can't walk? And he didn't have a scratch on him," Joe said suspicious of the true events of the night. There was no logical explanation to how Wells could have escaped the rainfall of glass if he was in the room.

"There's no point of impact," Barry said as he showed Joe the glass. "No rock, or bat or any solid object went through these windows. It's as if they just shattered themselves."

"What if it was a meta-human?" Sophia threw out there, and they all looked at each other with worried expressions before Sophia and Barry walked over to Wells to confront him. There was something he was hiding, and they didn't like it one bit.

"This wasn't some teenage prank?" Barry asked and Wells visibly sighed.

"No, it wasn't," Wells replied.

"But you don't want our help. Why?" Sophia asked.

"Because I already know who did this. Hartley Rathaway."

" _Who_?" Barry and Sophia looked at each other with confused expressions, having no idea who Hartley Rathaway was.

* * *

"Who is Hartley Rathaway?" Barry asked, crossing his arms.

"Hartley Rathaway is the prodigal son. And he has returned." Wells started to explain, all of them back at Star Labs. "Hartley Rathaway possesses one of the finest scientific minds I've ever encountered."

"Any ties to Rathaway Industries?" Joe asked, and Wells nodded.

"His grandfather founded the company, his father expanded it, and Hartley was set to inherit the throne…" Wells trailed off, and they figured he wasn't finished.

"What happened?"

"He came out to his parents." _Ouch, poor break_ Sophia thought. "Old money, old values. They were estranged when we met, but brilliant. I couldn't have built the particle accelerator without him," Wells confessed, and the guy didn't sound too bad…that was until Cisco opened his mouth a moment later.

"You guys have never mentioned his name," Barry mentioned and Cisco visibly stiffened, a look of distaste upon his face.

"That's because Hartley had a challenging personality," Caitlin said trying to put things lightly.

"What she means is he was mostly a jerk. But every once in a while, he could be _a dick_ ," and at Cisco's comment, Sophia struggled to keep her laughter contained.

"Let's just say that Hartley, like many outliers, had trouble relating to his peers."

"Yes, but he was always your favourite," Cisco pointed out.

"The chosen one. He referred to himself like that." And all the thoughts about the poor guy had gone down the drain and she realised what a stuck-up rich boy he sounded like. She wasn't looking forward to meeting this guy.

"So if you two were close, why would he target you?" Barry asked, leaning against the table.

"Hartley left Star Labs about a year ago after we had a disagreement."

"About what?" Barry prodded further, and Wells closed up again, shutting him down.

"Look, don't worry. We'll stop him. I won't let him hurt any of you."

"Let's get back to my lab all right?"

"I could've gone my whole life without seeing that Jerk again," Cisco mumbled under his breath and Sophia patted him on the shoulder.

"There, there."

* * *

"Hey," Sophia called Barry's phone from Star Labs. "Lang here."

"I think I know why you're calling," Barry said as he and Joe got informed of the 911 calls, notifying them that Rathaway Industries was under attack.

"Meet you there?" Sophia asked, already in her suit, placing her mask on her face as Cisco gave her the directions. She was wearing the 2.0 version of her suit, it had now been modified, and fitted with a cape, to aid with the aerodynamics, making her flight faster and smoother than before. But cisco had also fitted it with an option to retract the cape and vice versa which was extremely convenient when engaging in hand to hand combat.

"Make it a race." Barry said, with a grin, already changed into his suit in the second it took for her to reply.

"Ugh, not fair." Sophia said, flying out of Star Labs to meet Barry at Rathaway Industries. She flew through the sky, pushing her body as fast as she could, trying to get there before Barry even though she knew that would never happen.

"Get down on the ground!" The police officers shouted, as Rathaway continued to attack the building, smashing the glass erratically as he sent out pulses of energy on the same frequency as the glass, shattering it immediately, leaving the shards to rain down on the ground. He then turned around, aiming his gloves at the CCPD officers, trying to send a pulse of energy towards them and Sophia landed there just in time, throwing up a shield, blocking his attack.

"It's over Rathaway." Barry said as he ran over, pushing him to the ground.

"You know my name?" Rathaway asked with a smirk. Sapphire flew over next to The Flash, slowly starting to form small spheres of energy in her hand in case Rathaway tried to get away.

"I know some names too." Rathaway stated, obviously trying to buy sometime. "Caitlin Snow. Cisco Ramon. Harrison Wells." This seemed to anger Barry who took a step forward, ready to take him down.

"I can hear the radio waves emanating from your suit. About 1900 megahertz. Is that them on the other end, listening? Are they gonna hear you die?"

"No." Sophia said, "They're going to hear you get your ass kicked," Barry finished running at him, but Rathaway had blasted him, sending Barry flying back and smashing into the glass-piece behind him. Sophia threw the spheres of energy, electricity crackling through them at him immediately, her waves of energy hitting Rathaway hard enough to send him flying backwards. This gave Barry enough time to get back up off the ground, and run at him, tearing the gloves off his hands, as he grasped Rathaway by his shirt.

"Looks like you're not as smart as everyone says," Barry taunted with a smug smirk, having him cornered.

"Smart enough to have figured out who Harrison Wells really is. You see I know his secret." Barry and Sophia gave each other confused looks at this comment.

"Let's get going," Sophia said flying off, and Barry nodded, running himself and Rathaway over to Star Labs where he planned to throw him in his own cell.

* * *

"Being scooped up by a guy clad in head-to-toe leather is a long-time fantasy of mine, so thanks." Rathaway said to Barry as he dragged him out of the elevator, Sophia towing behind.

"Watch it, Rathaway." Sophia said, narrowing her eyes at the back of Hartley Rathaways head. She could swore she could hear his mind ticking as they walked him in to Star Labs.

"Well, well, well, the gang's all here." Hartley exclaimed as he saw Caitlin, Cisco and Wells. "You've lasted longer than I would've thought Cisco."

"And you didn't last ten seconds against Sapphire and The Flash," Cisco threw back, crossing his arms as he glared at Hartley, Sophia smiling smugly at Cisco's comment.

"I was thinking of calling myself Pied Piper," Hartley mused, and Cisco pursed his lips.

"Hey! I assign the nicknames around here… although that one's not bad."

"Caitlin, never did get that wedding invite," Hartley taunted, and Caitlin took a step back, hurt by the comment.

"Shut the hell up," Barry said to Hartley, disgusted by how he was treating Caitlin. Sophia had enough of his insults and threw a force field across his mouth, stopping him from speaking.

"Stay in front of me." Cisco pushed Hartley in front of him, in the direction of the Particle Accelerator, Sophia trailing behind, not wanting to leave Cisco alone with him.

As Cisco scanned Hartley, who was now sitting in his own little padded cell, Sophia stared at him with calculating eyes, watching as he stared at her, unable to say anything because she still had the force field covering his mouth.

"The scanner is detecting foreign metallic objects in your ears. Take 'em out." Cisco ordered.

"I can't," Hartley protested, "I suffered head trauma when Star Labs exploded. My hearing was severely damaged. Without these, I'm in pain you can't imagine." Hartley said, and Sophia sighed, unsure of what do to. If what he was saying was true, she didn't want to cause any more problems considering they had already defeated him.

"We all lost something that night," He directed towards Sophia and she kept her cautious eyes on his form, unsure of what he was trying to get at. "Very clever re-purposing the anti-proton cavities into confinement cells. Wells idea, I'm sure," Hartley said.

"It was mine actually," Cisco threw back with a proud smirk.

Rathaway then changed to Spanish, thinking it would throw Cisco off, and he figured it would be a little fun considering Cisco had his little Sapphire playing guard as she listened into the conversation.

"Little Cisco," Hartley sang in Spanish, his voice taunting. "Still begging for his master's approval."

"If you're so smart, why are you in a cage?" Cisco threw back just as easily, stepping forward as he did so, mocking Hartley.

"Don't make this harder for yourself Rathaway." Sophia said casually from her spot, the Spanish flowing off her lips fluently as though she had been speaking it all her life. Hartley looked at her with surprise, and changed to French.

"Sapphire, the girl who couldn't catch Captain Cold, what makes you think you can catch me." Hartley threw out in French and Sophia stepped forward, until she was standing directly in front of him.

"The fact that you're already locked up," She replied with ease in French, fluttering her eyes innocently, as they glowed Sapphire, Hartley glaring at her as she crossed her arms.

"Enough Hartley." And Rathaway shut his mouth, as soon as Dr. Wells voice emanated in the room. Sophia and Cisco turned back to see Wells rolling in. "Give us a minute." They both nodded and moved to leave the room. Sophia was just glad that she could leave and get changed.

"See you soon, Cisco," Rathaway called out, his arms crossed as Cisco walked out of the room, calling back out at him.

"Doubt it!"

* * *

"God, I wish I had taken a language in high school," Barry commented as he watched the video feed of Harrison and Rathaway talking, and in Latin.

"Trust me, it's not all that interesting," Sophia mentioned as she walked in, now changed back into her clothes from before. She hugged Barry from behind, closing her eyes and enjoying the contact as Barry smiled, placing his hands over hers that rested on his waist. Her head was resting against his back as they both listened to the conversation Wells was having with Hartley.

"How did you know we were working with Sapphire and The Flash?" Wells interrogated.

"I wrote a hexagonal algorithm tracking all of his sightings, extrapolating a theoretical exit trajectory. In other words, every time he ran from the scene of a crime, he ran in this general direction. It was a bit harder to find your Sapphire knight, she was sighted multiple times flying in different directions, making it harder to locate, but eventually she slipped up, and I caught her on a traffic cam headed towards Star Labs, making the deduction easier than I thought."

"You are brilliant," Wells said, a look of admiration on his face as he spoke with Hartley. "Any anguish you have been through because of me was never my intent."

"Not bad as far as heartfelt apologies go… Except that wasn't for my benefit. That was for you Flash, and your little girlfriend Sapphire." Sophia's grip loosened on Barry as she moved to view the screen with calculating eyes. She was so sick and tired of Rathaway, and she only met him this morning.

"Feels good to have the great Harrison Wells behind you doesn't it? But one day, this man will turn on you," Hartley began to laugh "in a flash, and even you won't see it coming," He spoke, face directed at the camera in the corner of his cell. "I only hope that he leaves you in better shape than he left me. If you're lucky, you'll only be dead." The comment left a heavy feeling in Sophia's gut, bringing up all the doubt and suspicion she had towards Wells to the forefront of her mind, but she shook it off. She knew that he was a good person, but sometimes good people do bad things. The particle accelerator was an example for that, but Wells was making up for it now, so she ignored the comments that Hartley made. After all he was a pathological liar.

"Because every day, I have to live with the agonising, piercing screaming in my ears," Hartley chuckled darkly, "I almost _forgot_ , I told your pets I know your deep, dark secret, Harrison. Have fun letting them in on that one." And with that Harrison turned around, rolling out of the prison and into the cortex, where the rest of the team were waiting for him.

"I assume you were all listening…" Wells said as he moved into the room, receiving a nod from Sophia. "Well, Hartley was telling the truth. I have not been honest with you. With any of you." Wells said, and Sophia gave Barry an unsure look. Barry took a deep breath and shrugged, sliding closer to Sophia where they leaned against the table.

"The accelerator… Hartley warned me that there was indeed a chance that the accelerator could explode," Wells admitted, and everyone had looks of shock written on their face. "His data did not show just that there was a risk, but it was a real risk. And yet, I made the decision that the reward, that everything we could learn and everything that we could _achieve_ , that all of that simply outweighed the risk… I'm sorry." After dropping that bombshell, everyone was frozen. Sophia's gaze immediately went over to Caitlin who looked like she had been destroyed.

"The next time you choose to put our lives, and the lives of the people that we love at risk, I'll expect a heads up." And with that Caitlin and Cisco had walked out of the cortex, and Sophia gave Barry a look, indicating that she was going to go after them, not wanting to leave them on their own after the bad news. He nodded, staying behind to talk to Wells.

"After the explosion, when everyone else left you, Caitlin and Cisco stood by you. You owe them more than an apology."

"They might soon get more than that with Hartley so intent on sending me to the next world."

"You broke their trust. Our trust." And with that Barry was too gone, now leaving Wells alone in the lab to mull over the events that had just transpired.

* * *

After trying to console both Caitlin and Cisco, the two decided they needed some time alone. Sophia was then left to her own devices, walking around Star Labs aimlessly when she literally ran into Barry. She would have tripped, falling onto her butt if it wasn't for his fast reflexes. Barry caught her, his hands securely wrapped around her arms, to help her back up.

"Why does this always happen?" Sophia grumbled as she got back up on her two feet. Barry laughed, his hazel eyes lighting up with amusement.

"I guess this means you're falling for me?" Sophia blushed in embarrassment, trying not to smile at his comment.

"Wipe that cheeky grin off your face." She said with a playful frown, pretending to be annoyed when in reality she knew that she had fallen for him a long time ago.

"How about I treat you to some coffee at Jitters? I could use a warm drink to cheer me up." Barry suggested and Sophia nodded with a sweet smile. He picked her up, his soft lips pecking her cheek as he ran them over to Jitters.

They were now seated at a table, sitting side by side, Sophia's head resting on Barry's shoulder as she stirred the hot chocolate in front of her, waiting for it to cool down to a reasonable level, not wanting to burn her tongue…again.

"I can't believe that he lied about what happened," Barry said, rubbing the side of his face.

"I know," She agreed. It wasn't the first time that this had happened, Wells had lied before, and though he had apologised, and his excuses had been relevant, it still made the suspicion surrounding him grow larger in Sophia's mind. "It just makes me wonder, if he could lie about something this big… what else is he keeping hidden?" Sophia looked at Barry, and he sighed deeply in response, unsure of how to reply. Just as they were sitting there in silence, sad expressions on their faces as they thought over what Wells had revealed to them this morning, Iris had spotted them, bringing her drink to come and sit across from them.

"We all can't be having the worst day ever."

"Oh, I think we are," Sophia mumbled, sitting upright and taking a sip of her drink, enjoying the warmth and smoothness of the chocolatey goodness.

"And I was really looking forward to getting some good complaining in."

"Well, fire away," Barry said and Iris leaned forward, and Sophia knew this was going to be some good stuff judging by her expression.

"Okay, well, turns out that the _real_ reason they hired me is because they think I have some sort of connection to Sapphire, and The Flash, which I don't… not anymore... And, I've been teamed up with Mason Bridge, who is a legend, who I admired, before he told me I was a _worthless, talentless millennial_." At the mention of her alter-ego's name, Sophia froze up a little bit, wondering if she could help Iris in anyway, but figuring how well those secret rendezvous went with The Flash and Iris, she thought it was better to leave that alone for a while.

"Ouch," Sophia cringed, that was pretty bad. Sophia felt bad that Iris was being treated this way, she wondered why some people in this world could be so cruel to others and not feel bad, it was a mystery.

"Well, the people we admire aren't always who we'd like them to be," Barry said, and Sophia sighed realising he was referring to Wells.

"Well said," Sophia mused and Iris nodded in agreement.

" _So,_ I'm screwed."

"No, _look_ if this Mason guy doesn't see what a talented journalist you are, then he's probably a lousy writer," Barry rationalised, trying to convince Iris that it wasn't anything to worry about.

"He won the Pulitzer," Iris deadpanned and Sophia nearly chocked on her drink, coughing. " _Twice_ , I think." Iris sighed.

"Oh my," Sophia said with wide eyes.

"Good for him," Barry said and they all burst into laughter.

"You're an amazing writer Iris, Mason might not see that now, but one day, you're gonna get your big break, and he's going to regret the day he uttered those words," Sophia said, giving Iris an encouraging smile.

"Thanks guys, having someone believe in me, it's um a small really, really big thing," Iris said genuinely, and both Sophia and Barry smiled at her, sad that she was going through a crappy time.

"Yeah."

Sophia's phone buzzed, and she excused herself from the table, letting Barry and Iris continue the conversation. She picked up, not expecting to hear Dr. Well's distressed voice on the other side of the line.

"There's been an incident… Hartley Rathaway has escaped Star Labs. We need you both here now," Dr. Wells told Sophia and she sighed, frustrated that their efforts to keep Rathaway contained were fruitless.

"On our way."

"And hurry, Cisco and Caitlin were both injured." At that Sophia had hung up, running over to Barry and letting him know what was going on. They gave Iris some bogus excuse, and felt horrible for doing so, but Cisco needed medical treatment, and Caitlin was in no position to provide that right now. Barry rushed them off to Star Labs, placing Sophia on her feet where she jumped into action straight away. Wells explained to the both of them what happened as Sophia tended to the wound on Cisco's head, examining him with the help of Caitlin's knowledge, as the doctor rested in the seat beside him, still feeling nauseated from when she was knocked out.

Sophia threw her gloves off in the bin after she had finished cleaning the blood off the side of Cisco's face, brushing a piece of his hair back. She felt horrible that he was caught in the explosion, but glad that he hadn't sustained any injuries worse than what he had presented with. Just a few small abrasions, one laceration on his forehead, and a concussion… _Alright so more than a few bumps_ , but he was safe and that's all that mattered. She felt strange being so over protective of her friends, but over the last year she felt that they were more like family to her than friends anymore. She moved over to Caitlin now, checking that she was alright, smiling when Caitlin responded that she was feeling better.

"Welcome back, Mr. Ramon," Wells announced as Cisco started to come too, his eyes opening slowly, squinting from the harsh white lights that illuminated the room.

"Ooh. Oh, man," Cisco groaned as he sat up with the help of Barry. "Caitlin?" Cisco asked, worried for her safety, as that was the last thing he remembered.

"Hey, she's fine," Barry reassured him, and Cisco nodded, relieved that no one else had gotten hurt.

"You on the other hand, have a concussion. So lay back down." Sophia instructed as she walked over to the other side of his bed, lifting the back of the bed up so he could sit up. "You're lucky."

"Please tell me you got him," Cisco asked, and Sophia shook her head and he sighed, not liking what was going to happen next.

"I guess the attack on his family's company was a fake out so we'd catch him, and give him direct access to Star Labs…" Sophia figured and Caitlin nodded, agreeing with her theory. But the real question was why did Hartley do this? What did he gain out of it all?

"Why?"

"I should've known he was up to something… this is my fault." Barry ran a hand through his hair frustrated that Rathaway had tricked them all. He blamed himself, for not knowing sooner, and for not being there to stop him.

"Hey, man, this is on me too," Cisco said, and Barry shook his head. Caitlin rolled her eyes at their behaviour, and gave Sophia a pointed look, trying to get her to fix things, she wasn't in the mood to deal with any arguments right now.

"Guys, there's no way we could have known," Sophia tried to tell them, but both boys insisted on blaming themselves.

"But I shouldn't have left before-," Barry started but Wells cut him off.

"This is _no one's_ fault but mine. I earned the blame, I'm not interested in sharing it. Hartley doesn't think I've paid for my crimes. And he's right. He won't stop until I do," Wells declared, and even though they were all still disappointed with him, they felt horrible that Rathaway was still out there, and plotting to hurt him.

"Dr. Wells, where are you going?" Sophia called out as he started to leave the room.

"To earn back your trust." And with that the doctor was gone, leaving the rest of them in the room to ponder what would happen next.

* * *

It had been a good half-hour later, and Wells had held a press conference at the CCPD, explaining his actions to the general public of Central City. He admitted to knowing that there was a very high calculated risk of the accelerator exploding, but the fact remained that he still moved forward with the plans to turn it on that very night. Iris was there, and had asked a few questions, and Sophia had cheered with a smile, and fist-bumping Barry as they watched it on the TV from Star Labs. She was so happy that Iris had gotten a response out of Wells unlike her co-worker Mason, who was a prime example of an arrogant, ignorant baby boomer. After watching Wells speak on live TV, and explain what happened, finally being honest for once, the disappointment that had bubbled up to the surface had dissipated, and they all knew that they would forgive him. People make mistakes sometimes, and they agreed that everything would be good between their team, and the leader.

The interview was over within a few minutes, and Sophia switched the television off, grabbing Barry's hand and pulling him out of the cortex, yelling out to Caitlin that they were heading to the roof, and if she needed anything to call.

So there, the two young superheros sat on the edge of the rooftop of Star Labs, fingers intertwined as they watched the sunset. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the view, and the company. It was then that Sophia spoke up.

"I like coming up here sometimes, it's always so serene…so relaxing..."

"Mmm," Barry hummed in agreement, leaning his head on her shoulder, his face, nuzzling in the side of her neck, causing her to squirm, giggling as his lips ghosted over her neck. "Very relaxing."

"Funny, Allen." He placed a small kiss on her neck in response. He missed being able to sit down with Sophia and just enjoy time together as a couple. It had been hard since the man in yellow had come back, his reappearance putting everyone on edge.

"It's crazy isn't it? Our life. Always on the run, in between work, saving people's lives, and trying to catch meta-humans," Sophia breathed out. She knew she had accepted it a while back, but it was still terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.

"It's definitely insane, but I'd rather do it with you than anyone else in the world," Barry said with a goofy smile, moving to look at her face.

"That is one of the sweetest things anyone's ever said to me." And much to her surprise, Barry actually blushed, and she thought it was the most adorable thing. She smiled sweetly, leaning forward, and placing a firm kiss on his lips. He responded automatically, as though it was the most natural thing in the world, moving his hand to her curled hair, cradling her head in his hands as they kissed. The kiss turned from loving and sweet, to that of a faster pace and passion pretty soon. His kisses never failed to get her heart racing, blood pumping, leaving her yearning for more. This moment didn't develop further because their phones interrupted them… well, Cisco more like it.

"Cisco," They mumbled in unison.

"We better get going," Barry said, standing up, and putting his hand out for Sophia to grab. She smiled and grasped it, being pulled up in a single motion. They both straightened out their clothes, tucking shirts back in, and tidying up their appearance when Sophia looked up at Barry to see his hair everywhere. She bit her lip, trying to bite back a laugh.

"Your hair's a bit…" Sophia said pointing towards Barry's hair, and shook her head, moving to pat it down herself. She combed through his ruffled brown locks, styling it how it normally sat, smiling now that now didn't look like a total mess.

"Thanks."

"No worries, it was sort of my fault," She said, sticking her tongue out and Barry laughed, picking her up and running them both downstairs where Cisco stood, with his arms crossed, and a bandage on his forehead, which Sophia had to admit didn't make him look angry, but just hilarious instead. Their joyful moods soon turned to serious as Cisco told them that Hartley was on the line. Barry looked at Sophia, and she nodded understanding the look on his face. They both ran, getting changed into their super-suits whilst Harrison spoke to Hartley.

"What do you say? One last game of chess?" Hartley's voice rang out of the speakers, just as Sapphire and The Flash were getting ready to leave Star Labs, ready to take him down.

"You and I both know that the winner of the game is the one who makes the next-to-last mistake, and you clearly have a move in mind."

"You're right, and I'm already at the board. So why don't you move your precious scarlet and sapphire knights while I take out a few pawns." After this, they heard screams and then the call cut. Barry paced around the room anxiously, and Sophia put on her mask.

"Cisco, where do we go?" Sophia opened up the skylight in the middle of the room, the glass window sliding open, ready to fly out of Star Labs.

"I can't trace the signal. He could be sending his messages- from anywhere," Cisco rushed out, as he typed furiously on his computer, trying to triangulate Rathaways location.

"Cisco, scan for seismic activity. If Hartley's using sonic blast, the vibrations could case tremors," Wells ordered, and Cisco was on it within seconds.

"Look, over here," Cisco pointed out the spot on the map, zooming in on the larger screen, it looked like Hartley was at the dam. "Quake activity, but no fault line," Cisco explained.

"The keystone Cleveland Dam," Caitlin said and the two superheros left in a flash, Sophia turned around in mid-air as she shot into the sky, her body rocketing through the sky as she tried to get there as fast as she could. There was a bridge over the dam, and Rathaway was most likely attacking innocent civilians, and Barry couldn't save them all and take Rathaway out at the same time.

"Barry, Sophia. Do not underestimate him," Wells cautioned, "He's brilliant."

"Well, it's a good thing _we're_ even better."

"Rook to knight four." Rathaway yelled as he used his sonic blast, smashing a car, sending it over the edge of the dam. Barry ran in just in time, rushing to grab those out of the car just in time, placing them safely on the ground as he moved to attack Hartley. As Sophia landed, she started to help move the bystanders out of the way. Hartley threw another wave of cars out into the dam and she yelled at Barry that she had this. She flew down, soaring through the sky, and threw shields around each of them, levitating them with her energy, and setting them down on the other end of the bridge, safe from the destruction that was going down.

"Barry, you need to disarm Hartley immediately. Immediately, do you hear me? He is a master of distraction. He is a master of hiding his true endgame," Wells warned.

"Got it doc," Sophia said, and after making sure the civilians were safe, she turned back around to see Barry and Hartley in a heated fight.

"Aha!" Cisco exclaimed, his excitement slowly morphing into worry. "Uh-oh. I figured out what Hartley stole from Star Labs, why he let himself get caught."

"Which brings us to the uh-oh," Caitlin said with a worried frown.

"He has all the data on Barry's molecular scans."

"Why would he want that? And why not Sophia's?"

"It wouldn't affect her, not like the way it would affect Barry. He can get Barry's frequency. Barry, Sophia you need to get out of there! You need to get out of there immediately." Sophia didn't hear much of what they were saying as she tried to block Rathaways sonic blasts with her shields, giving Barry enough time to run in and rip the gloves off Hartley, sending him to the floor.

"It's over, you lose," Barry said to Hartley, causing the Pied Piper to scoff.

"Amazing, he replaced me with you? Total moron. I got you with the same trick twice." Hartley taunted, and Sophia's eyes went wide as she realised what he meant. She didn't have enough time to warn Barry, when Hartley's gloves started to vibrate, and Barry started shaking violently, yelling in agonising pain as the gloves matched the frequency at which his body was running at, sending him into shock.

Sophia sprang into action immediately, flying over to Hartley and punching him in the jaw, her knuckles glowing cobalt as they made contact with his cheek, sending him stumbling backwards as he crashed into the concrete barrier behind him. She then turned around, sending a wave of electrical energy into the gloves, completely frying the system. Hartley groaned in pain and looked up at the Sapphire knight standing a few feet away from him. He thought she would have been preoccupied with helping people escape, but he had underestimated her powers. Sophia stalked over to him, ignoring everything else. Hartley had caused so much destruction, and he had hurt Barry, nearly killing him. Her eyes glowed a bright sapphire as Hartley stood up, trying to balance himself after being hit so hard. She moved forward effortlessly, and roundhouse kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold in one swift motion.

Breathing heavily, she focused her attention on Barry who was heaving on the ground, spitting some blood out of his mouth. She was by his side within seconds, helping him up.

"You alright?" She asked in concern.

"Yeah," Barry yelled and she winced. Clearly his hearing was off. "That was a pretty sweet kick," He mentioned loudly.

"Well, he was starting to piss me off."

"Remind me to never piss you off," Barry laughed.

"Come on, let's get you back to Star Labs, you're bleeding everywhere." Sophia mentioned with a small frown as Barry wiped the blood from the side of his mouth, wincing in pain as they left for Star Labs dragging the trash that was Hartley Rathaway in tow.

* * *

"How do you feel?" Sophia asked Barry. She was worried that whatever Rathaway did to Barry would have lasting side-effects, but with his unnatural ability to heal at such fast rates, she was sure that whatever pain or changes he was feeling at this current moment, would be gone within the next few hours.

"Fine! I mean there is a little ringing in my ears, but other than that I'm good, so…" Barry yelled as he walked back into the cortex with Sophia, both of them changed in their regular clothes.

"You're speaking very loudly," Caitlin mentioned and Barry smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, it'll pass."

"Nice moves out there Soph," Cisco commented, giving her a fist-bump and she had a smug smile on her face, happy that they had caught Rathaway.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

"I think I'm gonna take my doctor's advice and go lie down."

"You do that sweetie," Sophia laughed as Cisco went to go and lay down, finally getting some rest. "Man, I feel like I'm hung over times ten," Cisco mumbled and Sophia looked at Barry, smiling as they found the situation humorous.

"I'm going to meet Joe, do you want to tag along?"

"Mmm. I think I'll hang around here for a little bit. _But_ we are meeting up later tonight." Sophia said softly as she stepped closer to Barry. When he didn't reply, she gave him an incredulous look. "Oh, I forgot you're deaf now," She mumbled. "My place in an hour." She said louder thus time, giving Barry a kiss on his cheek as he laughed, responding with a peck on her forehead, and zooming off to see Joe.

Sophia and Cisco walked side by side as they went to visit Hartley back in his cell, who was starting to come too after being knocked out for the last few hours.

"Your _evil_ hearing aids won't be able to help you escape this time," Cisco said as Hartley stood up. "So I'd get comfy."

"You must be enjoying this Cisco," Hartley said, a look of distaste on his face as he pursed his lips.

"I am," Cisco said smugly.

"And you too Sophia, I see you enjoyed taking me down, it must be nice to feel some sense of accomplishment." Sophia rolled her eyes at his misogynistic comment. He had been making them all day and she was fed up with the Pied Piper.

"I'd have no problem doing it again if that's what you're wondering."

"Ah, well, if that scares you, I can't imagine how you're gonna feel when you open up these doors- and let me out of here."

"Hmm, maybe I'm going deaf, cause I could've sworn you just said I'm gonna let you out."

"And very soon." Sophia scoffed at his comment. _Doesn't this guy know when he's beat?_

"And why would we ever do that?" Sophia threw at Hartley, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Because, I know where Ronnie Raymond is. I know what really happened to him that night, and I know how to save him… _Oh_ , and I know what happened to your little friend Anna, you'd be surprised to find out where she disappeared off too."

Sophia and Cisco turned to each other with worried expressions, and wide eyes at Hartley's words. There was one thing running through both of their heads at that precise moment.

 _How did he know?_

 **A/N – P.s. it's late, so please forgive me for any grammatical errors, I just wanted to get this chapter posted.**

 **So a bit more fluff and love between Barry and Sophia. I must admit, that I loved writing Sophia's fighting technique to be a bit more edgy when dealing with Rathaway. I mean, he was practically killing the man that she loves, so she didn't take any prisoners. I watched a few videos on that kick, to master the technique looks like terribly hard work, and I'm sure that she practiced and practiced during training. I'd like to think that Oliver taught her that move. Suffice to say that everyone on the team was thoroughly surprised with that little development.**

 **Ooh and cliffhanger! What does Hartley know and how does he know it? Guess we'll have to wait and see. This chapter was a bit slow in terms of plot development, but I thought it was just enough to keep you entertained for now. The next few chapters get intense. Also, I start my studies again in a week, so if my updates are a little bit delayed by a few days give or take, please stay with me, I'm trying my best to pre-prepare chapters, but I'm posting them faster than I am getting them pumped out, and that's because they're so damn large. This one's nearly 12,000 words. But I promise, I'm here, and I won't leave you without anything for too long, if anything I'd cut my chapters down a bit shorter to make it easier to post.**

 **I won't abandon you or this story I promise!**

 **I cannot believe we've reached 93 followers and 75 favourites. It's amazing, and I have to thank every single one of you for every follow, favourite and review.**

 **Replies: I replied to most via PM, the others are below.**

 **Looney Lovegood: Glad that you enjoyed it! Woah, you binge read 104k? That's intense, and I commend you on your efforts. Love that you're enjoying the story. Well, as you said, here is the rest. I'll hopefully be updating a new chapter every 7-10 days, depending on how fast I can get some stuff written.**

 **Ms. O'Leary: That's alright. Glad you loved both chapters. Yup! They were quite the rollercoasters weren't they? Plenty of angst and drama to go around for days. I love Captain Cold, he's such a great character to write, and I cannot wait to bring him back in a few chapters! For sure, they're in this together for the long run, and they're just realising it now. Hope you liked this one.**


	15. Impromptu Getaway

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The 21st of February was fast approaching. Why was this day so important you might ask? It was Sophia's birthday, and it would be the first birthday in a while that she felt so content with her life. She would be moving on, to the ripe age of twenty-five. She hadn't exactly planned anything, and figured she would be preoccupied with work- in both senses of the word- and wouldn't have time to celebrate as wild as she had done in previous years. Her birthday fell on a weekend and for that she was glad, at least she might be able to scrap together some sort of dinner with her friends, or maybe even catch up on some sleep, if that was even possible. She found that the longer she worked in this meta-human business, the more time she was missing from work at the hospital, and for each shift she missed, she had to replace it with another, sending her into a spiralling world of work, work, work and you guessed it, more work.

She was desperate for a break, some place to get away. It was as though her prayers were answered. She had gone to collect her mail that week, and what she hadn't expected was her father to send her two return airplane tickets to Kansas for the weekend of her birthday. He had written her a letter, saying how he would love to spend it with her, and that he had even paid for a ticket for Barry to come along, claiming, that he would like to finally meet the man his daughter was involved with. The notion was enthralling, at the very least, the mere thought of having a break and being back home was something she was looking forward to. But she wasn't sure if Barry would receive the news with much excitement as she had. She was familiar with the situation of girl bringing boy home to meet the family, and more than ninety per cent of the time, it didn't work out well- that was for her. Thus explaining the case of why she didn't have an extensive dating history. But she felt like she knew Barry well enough to know that he would love to come along, and if anything would just be a bit nervous at first, like he always was. Plus, she knew that this time, it would just be her father, and not her nosy aunt, from her mother's side, who was usually the cause of the problems with her dating life.

So there she stood, waiting in the middle of a local park, waiting for Barry to show up. They had set the meeting time for 9am, but knowing Barry, he would be late, even with his super speed. So there she sat, underneath the only willow tree in the middle of the park. The green blades of grass were soft underneath her, and there was a fresh scent in the crisp air that relaxed her to a degree. She enjoyed the familiar scenery, watching as kids walked by with their parents, playing in the park with their families. She closed her eyes for just a moment, taking in the peaceful moment, the hearty laughs and giggles all around her and putting it to memory. It was certainly a nice change from the usual grunting, kicking and screaming that she was so use to during the night as the roamed the streets of Central City.

"Sorry I'm late," Barry's voice came out, bringing a rush of wind with him. "I got caught up at the CCPD. A new case, lots of evidence, seven extra strong coffees, and three shots of V," Barry rushed out. He had been awake for the last 24 hours or more, and all the work he was doing was driving him crazy. He needed a break, and fast.

"Sounds like you've had one hell of a night," She said, looking up at him. Apart from some messy hair, and a tired face, he didn't look all that bad. It must have been the speed keeping his metabolism up and running. She was slightly jealous that he looked so good after being awake for so long. If it was her, she was sure to look like a dying racoon… and that was without wearing mascara.

"Mmm, that's an understatement," He said, grasping the hand that she held out, pulling her up off the ground.

"Walk and talk?"

"Walk and talk," He hummed in agreement. Though he had been rushing around to get his work done, most of it had been him sitting at a desk in his lab as he ran through sample tests and evidence, and he needed a good stretch of his legs.

They strolled around the park, chatting about anything and everything, and Sophia realised it would be the perfect time to bring up the impromptu getaway… at least she hoped so.

"So, it's my birthday this weekend," Sophia started and Barry laughed, cutting her off.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Barry mused. He had in fact, noticed. It had been marked on various calendars around his bedroom and lab, as well as Star Labs. Cisco and Caitlin were trying to plan something special for her, creating a new version of her suit as a birthday gift, leaving Barry to figure out what to get her on his own. He was still struggling to find something to up the gift that he had given her for Christmas.

She rolled her eyes playfully at his comment, and slipped her arm into his, leaning her head on against his arm as they walked.

"My dad sent me a gift. We'll he sent _us_ a gift," She clarified.

"Us?" Barry asked, urging her to clarify.

"He sent two plane tickets to Kansas for this weekend, only two days, but nonetheless, it'd be nice to spend my birthday with my dad," Sophia said, and then quickly added, "But don't feel pressured to come with, I just thought, you know…since he sent it, that it'd be-," Barry cut her off.

"Hey, don't stress. I'd love to. I'm excited to finally meet your dad," Barry said, with every word of his as honest as ever. He had been dying to get to know more about Sophia, and her father was one of the most important people in her life, so it was certainly the best place to start when looking into her past.

"Well, Arthur Lang, is certainly excited to see you."

"I feel bad that he had to pay for the tickets. We should pay him back," Barry said. He knew that it wasn't a cheap trip from Central City to Kansas, and he hoped that it didn't indispose him too much.

"No, don't worry. He's actually the CEO of his own corn corporation in Kansas, he took over from a friend a while back, and so money's never really been an issue for him, thankfully."

"Oh, well, that's certainly interesting."

"Don't worry, he'll be sure to take you on a tour. Though, I think you'd find the science behind it quite interesting."

"I'm sure, I'll love it."

"Our first weekend away, I'm excited," Barry said, bringing her close in his arms, placing a kiss on her temple as they stopped by the small lake.

"Mm, but our hot water isn't very good, so fast showers," She warned him.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm always fast," Barry said with a wink.

"Not always, I hope," She teased, her eyes flickering down to his lips, and she moved forward, pressing a chaste kiss on his mouth, dragging it out long and slow. Barry was sure that his heart was going to explode, and though he desperately wanted it to go further, he broke apart, moving back slightly as he pointed out that they were in public.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself, especially with that comment of yours."

Barry let out a roar of laughter, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they continued to walk, and plan the rest of their trip, both ecstatic that they'd get a chance to enjoy something a little different for once.

* * *

The week had flown by, leaving both Barry and Sophia sleep deprived from their extensive hours at work, and at Star Labs, but both were looking forward to their weekend, hoping that the CCPD would be able to keep Central City protected for the weekend. Barry had been worried that with both of them out of town, that something might go wrong, but Sophia reassured him that even if something did, they'd be there in a flash, and to that all his worries were quelled and he laughed along with her ridiculous pun.

Knowing that Sophia wasn't going to be in Central City for her birthday, Cisco, Caitlin and Dr. Wells had pre-prepared her gift and given it to her early. She was beyond amazed. The new super suit that they had all developed was beautifully designed. The delicate mask was a brilliant shade of cobalt blue, with tinges of gold detail speckled around the eyes, brighter than her previous one. The actual suit itself had changed as well. She still had the same retractable cape, the torso the same dark blue she had previously, but this time, it had a gem in the middle of the chest, that would glow in tandem with her eyes. She didn't know how they did it, but she couldn't have been more excited at this new development. It looked amazing, and it made her feel more unique in terms of her suit. Barry had his red, with the lightning bolt, and now she had her own little insignia. She claimed that it was the best gift she could have gotten, and this sent the three along with happy smiles, but left Barry unsure of what he had planned to get Sophia himself.

As per usual Sophia had left her packing til the last minute, and was struggling to shovel clothes and toiletries into her suitcase before she had to leave to catch her flight. Barry was dropping her cat off at Eddie's apartment. He had been nice enough to offer to take Chewie off her hands for a few days… well, mostly because Iris had said that she would love to, and gave him those puppy dog eyes of hers, and he couldn't bear to say no.

She had just finished throwing in the last item into the suitcase. She usually would have taken a smaller bag considering it was just a two day trip, but she had a whole bunch of gifts for her dad, and some friends back home that she hadn't seen in a while, so she had to make sure that she brought them with her this trip. _Finally done._ Just as she bent down to zip it up, the suitcase wouldn't shut. She pressed down the overflowing lid as hard as she could, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth as she tried again to zip it. But no matter how hard she tugged, it just wouldn't close. The suitcase was just too full, and she needed to squish it down. That's how she ended up jumping up and down on her suitcase in an attempt to squash the volume, when Barry walked through the door, with amusement written all over his face.

"Oh, so you think this is funny?" She asked, quirking a brow as she continued to try and close it.

"Yeah, I do," Barry said, the mirth evident on his face.

"Oh, you just wait there, Allen. After I have this closed, I'll show you what funny looks like." Barry just laughed at her sarcasm, and went over to help her close the suitcase, while she stood on it.

"There, all done." Sophia pursed her lips at Barry, pretending to be peeved at him as he threw her a smile.

"Ready to get this show on the road?" Barry asked. All of his luggage had been packed and ready to go last night. It only took him 2.5 seconds to get everything he needed done.

"You mean the air?" Sophia corrected, seeing as though they'd be flying.

"It's an expression, _sweetheart_."

"What did I say about the nicknames, Allen?" Sophia said with pursed lips as she moved to grab her bag. Secretly, she loved the little endearments, and she just did this to tease him.

"That you secretly like them, but don't want me to call you them in public," Barry said nonchalantly, causing her to turn around with a look of bewilderment.

"I never said that," Sophia denied, and she tried so very hard to keep the smile off her face, but she failed to do so.

"But it's true, I can tell, a smile appears on your face every single time, without fail. You need to work on your poker face."

"Alright, _smartass_ , let's go."

"Whatever you say, _honey."_

* * *

Arriving at the newly developed domestic airport in Kansas was a godsend. Sophia remembered the days where you would have to take a flight into another state, and then drive all the way through to Smallville where she lived as a child, because it was so isolated. This usually wouldn't have been too bad, but as a child, the small truck their family owned didn't have great air-conditioning, or radio for that matter, and so it use to be a hot and tiring journey after a long flight.

Sophia had insisted that they hire a car, and drive to her family home. She had wanted to take a car of her own, so that they could explore her home town the following day, when she knew her father would be at work from nine to five. Barry said that he wasn't tired, so he drove, whilst Sophia gave directions. She was bouncing in her chair in anticipation. She hadn't been home for a while, and she missed it more than she realised. She watched the corn fields as they drove past, enjoying the vision of greenery that her hometown had to offer versus, the city block that she lived in.

"Also, I haven't told my dad yet, about this whole meta-human thing. So, no powers this trip, unless absolutely necessary," Sophia told Barry. Though she desperately wanted to be honest with her dad, she knew that this was the best way to protect him from any danger. The less he knew, the better.

"No problem." Barry kept one hand on the steering wheel, and the other found its way into Sophia's as he intertwined their fingers, giving it a light squeeze. He knew that they were both nervous for this meeting, but they had each other, and everything would turn out fine.

Soon enough, the tires rolled onto the coble stone driveway that lead up to her house. Barry was surprised to see that it was such a big house, when he knew that it use to have three people living in it. Barry parked the car, and they both got out, grabbing the luggage from the boot and dragging it up the wooden steps to her front door. Before Sophia could even knock on the door, it had swung wide open to reveal Arthur Lang, her father. He was a relatively tall fellow, though, not as tall as Barry. He wore a pair of rimmed glasses, dark wash jeans and plaid shirt to match. Sophia was comforted at the familiar sight, and didn't wait a second before leaping into his arms, holding onto him tight. Barry watched on with a smile, happy that they had accepted the trip down here.

"My sweet little girl, I'm so glad you're finally here," Her father greeted her in Cantonese. This didn't go unnoticed by Barry who wondered what they were saying as Sophia replied back in her mother tongue.

"Now who is this young strapping fellow?" Arthur asked, this time in English, his accent so perfect that it was a wonder that he spoke another language in the first place.

"Barry Allen, Sir," Barry greeted nervously, sticking out his hand for him to shake.

"Please, call me, Arthur," The older Lang said. "It's nice to finally meet you. Sophia wouldn't stop talking about you, and I knew that it was time we had met."

"Is that so?" Barry asked looking at Sophia who blushed. "It's a pleasure, and thank you so much for sending the tickets for us to come and visit."

"It's no problem at all. Why don't you two come inside? I'm sure you're both tired and hungry after a long journey."

Arthur Lang had always been a talented cook. His mother had taught him various recipes all throughout his childhood, teaching him that both men and women should know how to cook. That being said, he hadn't had to cook that much when his wife was still alive, and even when Sophia was living at home. His two girls were more talented in that category than he could ever be. But once Sophia moved to Central City in pursuit of her career, he knew that he had to get back into business. Since then, he had prepared various meals, from different cuisines, trying out new dishes every weekend to keep himself busy. Even though he was running a company, he had nothing to do during his down time, except farming and cooking.

He had decided in advance that he would prepare a lovely dinner for Sophia and Barry before they arrived. He had planned to make her a breakfast the following morning for her birthday, and to inform Barry of a nice restaurant by the lakeside that he could take Sophia to, so the two could spend the night out. He remembered what it was like to be in love, and he wanted to the very best for his daughter. He noticed that she looked tired, and much older than when she had left even though it had only been a few years ago. He was worried that she was working herself too hard, and so he was more than happy to accommodate the two youngsters for the weekend in the hope that it would be reinvigorating and relaxing for them both.

They spent the night getting to know each other, and catching up over a delicious spread of noddles and stir-fry's that Arthur had prepared. Sophia's homesickness was cured with one sniff of the steaming food settled on the table in front of her. Barry had never tried some of these dishes before, but found himself asking Arthur for the recipe in the hopes that Sophia or even Iris would make it for their family dinner's back home.

Sophia was glad that Barry and her father had hit it off. She was worried about their first meeting, but now, seeing them get along so well, and both of them teasing her, she knew that she had nothing to worry about in the first place. Her father was an easy going person to begin with, and because of Barry's loveable personality and charm, it wasn't long til they were cracking jokes with each other. They mostly spoke of their work with her father, getting him up to speed on what was going on their life, but both were careful to keep any details about Star Labs and their extracurricular activities away from the topic of conversation. A few hours had gone by, Barry offered to do the dishes, saying that he'd get it done quickly, when Sophia sent him a glare, hoping he understood that he had to wash them like a normal person, and not using his super speed. He winked at her before moving into the kitchen with the empty plates, and Sophia leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You've picked quite the man, haven't you?"

"He's great. He's kind, compassionate, smart…he's everything I could ever need," Sophia told her dad, her eyes twinkling with love as she spoke. Just from those words alone, he knew that she was in love, and he was happy that she was moving on with her life.

"I'm happy for you, and I know that you're mother would have been as well," Arthur said, leaning over the table, and placing his hand on top of hers.

"Thanks, Dad. It means a lot."

Dinner was finished off with a lovely dessert, and before they knew it, Sophia was leaning back in her chair, light snores emanating off her. Both of them chuckled and Barry said he would take her upstairs, and get ready for bed. Arthur had then teased, saying how they had to have separate rooms. At the look of panic on Barry's face, Arthur had cracked a smile, and laughed, telling him that it was fine, causing Barry to let out a sigh of relief. He would have agreed with his terms, but it was the sudden shock of it all that had him speechless.

Barry had spent the night in Sophia's old bedroom, admiring the family photos she had lying around. Her old collection of backstreet boy CDs, and the ridiculous amount of books that jam-packed her shelves. She had novels from Jane Austen, to J.K. Rowling. He had placed her on her bed, tucking her in under the covers, knowing that she was tired from the long journey, and he figured that he should get some sleep too, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a long day. Barry had been surprised when Arthur told him that he could have Sophia to himself that night. He figured that they would be celebrating together, but Arthur said that he wanted Barry to take her out for a romantic dinner. He had even suggested a few spots with delicious food and a calming view. Arthur had told Barry that he would be taking an overnight shift at the factory, and therefore they would have the house to themselves, so they may as well, go out and enjoy themselves for dinner.

But just before he fell asleep, Barry made sure to finish packing Sophia's gift away in a box, leaving it underneath her bed, hoping that she wouldn't find it before tomorrow morning.

"Goodnight, Barry," Sophia mumbled as she shuffled closer to Barry, leaning her head on his chest, breathing in his comforting scent. Barry could hear her breathing even out and he whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to her temple as she slept.

"Goodnight, Soph."

* * *

The morning had been spent celebrating with her father, and a few family friends that had come over to surprise her. She caught up with the Sullivan's and Marshall's, friends from her childhood that she hadn't seen in over seven years. She had introduced Barry to them, and found that they all teased her relentlessly. Back in the day, she hadn't been much of a dater, and so this was a surprise to them all.

Her father had given her a pair of her mother's earrings as a gift. He had kept them especially for her birthday, and she shed a tear as he passed them onto her. After the guests had left, Barry had then given her, his gift. She had opened the box with uncertainty, and was flooded with love and joy when she looked back on the fond memories he had filled it with. There were photos of them as a couple on some of their dates, Polaroids with their friends from Christmas. There was a twenty dollar bill, attached to a bunch of coffee receipts, from the various times he had spilled hers, as well as a new coffee mug with an air tight lid, that would prevent any spillage. Right at the bottom of the box, there was a large white wooden photo frame, with a hand drawing of herself placed inside. It was of her, sitting in a chair, and looking off into the distance. The detailing, and the beauty that he had captured was beyond amazing. She looked up at him with surprise, and a warmth in her chest that only he could bring out in her.

"Did you draw this?" She asked Barry in a soft voice. Out of all the gifts she had received, this was the most heartfelt one yet.

"Yeah, d-do you like it?" He asked nervously, watching her expression carefully.

"It's beautiful, I love it," She exhaled, causing a grin to break out on Barry's face.

"I'm glad."

"But, there is one gift left," Barry announced. He had tonight all planned out.

"Another?" She asked in wonder.

"Dinner, tonight, the two of us. Pick out a nice dress."

"Will you be wearing a suit?" She asked, biting her lip.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," Barry teased.

Sophia told him later on that it was totally worth the wait. The black suit and tie complimented him so well, and she was swooning at the very sight of him. But then he went to mention, that she had done the same to him. She was- to put it simply- breathtaking, an absolute dream in the red dress she was wearing. He had then mentioned how it was unfair that she looked _that_ beautiful, causing her cheeks to flush in an instant. Her hair was out, curled to perfection, her eyes adorning a golden shadow on top that sparkled in the light, and her lips were painted a deep red that had Barry yearning to just forget about the dinner, and take her back upstairs. But he shook his head of such thoughts, and escorted her down to the steps, whisking her into his arms, as he ran them to the restaurant.

"I thought we agreed no powers, unless absolutely necessary?"

"I think this counts," He said, linking his arm through her own as they walked inside the restaurant. The waiter checked their reservation, giving them a delightful smile as he escorted them to their private table for two around the back, giving them a lakeside view.

They enjoyed their candlelight dinner, sipping on wine and letting their hearts out as they celebrated. The dinner was beyond delicious, and had filled them both up, but Barry insisted that they get dessert. Sophia had then said that they should share something, because there was no way she was going to finish it on her own. They had decided to order the chocolate volcano cake, loving the sound of it, and they weren't disappointed when it arrived. It was a huge serving, at least big enough for two or three people. It was decorated with icing sugar that looked like little shavings of snow on top, and various berries surrounding the cake. Sophia then took a spoon, cutting through the cake, sending a rush of chocolate lava, outside. Barry laughed at the look of mirth on her face as she did so, and he picked up his spoon, getting a generous helping of the cake, and feeding it to her from across the table. She moaned as soon as the chocolate touched her lips. It was definitely the best cake she had ever eaten in her entire life.

"This is amazing," She said in-between her mouth full.

"I can tell you like it," Barry said, pointing to the chocolate smudge on the side of her lips with amusement.

"Oops," She giggled, bringing up her napkin to wipe away the chocolate.

"That was amazing, thank you. It's seriously been, the best birthday ever," Sophia declared, placing a chaste kiss on Barry's cheek.

"You're welcome."

They had strolled around the dimly lit streets that night, savouring the moment in the chilly weather. Barry had draped his suit jacket over Sophia's shoulder when he noticed her arms twitching from the cold. She had smiled up at him, silently thanking him for the gesture. It was when they reached home, and Sophia went to get changed that she had asked Barry to help her with her dress. The zipper was up too high, and she wondered how she had gotten it on in the first place, but she was now struggling to undo it. She wasn't sure if it was because she was tired, lazy or a tad tipsy from all the wining and dining they had done that night. Barry being the gentleman that he was, rushed over and helped her, moving away to give her privacy. But before he could, she had turned around, grabbing his wrist and pulled him back in for a kiss.

Maybe there was something in the air that night, but she felt that same pounding in her chest, the same desire, the same sensory overload that she had those few weeks ago, and she was sure that he could tell as well. They continued to kiss in the dimly lit room, moving back until her own was against the wall, Barry pressing their bodies further together. He responded with equal passion, his mouth slanting over hers desperately, her hands tangling in his hair, his own splayed on her waist pulling her close. His lips were on her neck, trailing hot wet kisses on her skin as she arched her body into his, closing her eyes as she bit her lip, not wasting a second in connecting her lips back to his. Before they knew it, they were crashing on her bed in a flurry of lust, taking advantage of the empty house they had to themselves.

* * *

Sophia had woken up the next morning, her body tangled in the sheets, Barry's arm wrapped around her bare torso, enjoying the skin to skin contact. She turned over slightly, enjoying the view as he lay there, next to her. She wondered if was destiny, or just luck that they had found each other. Regardless, she knew that her life would be less exciting without him in it, and for that she was ever thankful. She leaned over, placing a lingering kiss on his jaw before snuggling up next to him again, enjoying the warmth that he radiated as she drifted back to sleep, wanting nothing more than to lay in his arms forever. _I love you_ was the last thought in her mind as she fell back into the land of dreams.

It was nearing midday when they had both woken up. They spent the next few hours exploring the cornfields of Smallville, Sophia taking Barry on his own personal tour. Her dad tagged along for a little bit as well before he was called off to work to fix a problem. She had also taken him into town, showing him all the fruit markets, and stalls to be seen. Everything from fresh produce and flowers were sold, down to antiques from hundreds of years ago. Barry admitted that he hadn't seen anything like it before, and that it was a nice change.

It wasn't long until they were forced to pack their bags, ready to catch their flight back to Central City, where reality awaited them. It was a short, but sweet trip, and Sophia enjoyed every second, and made memories that she would cherish for a lifetime. Barry thanked Sophia's dad profusely, and Arthur made them promise that they would visit again soon. If not, Arthur said that he would come and visit them in Central City. He had never been before, so it would be a new experience, but he would struggle to find someone to cover his duties for the trip. They waved goodbye as they tore out of the driveway, Sophia smiling sadly at her father as she hoped that it wouldn't be this long til she saw him again. She promised herself that she would come visit again.

And with that their romantic getaway had come to an end, and they now found themselves back into their daily routine of crime fighting, working and trying to remain relatively sane in the crazy world that they lived in. But Barry knew that he wouldn't give it up for the world.

 **A/N –**

 **This was published as celebration for 100 follows! How amazing is that. Love every single one of you guys. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter, I am dying to hear your thoughts.**

 **Think of this as a Valentine's Day special, but instead of V-DAY, it was her birthday. P.s. don't kill me Natalie. Hope this was good enough instead.**

 **This is just a small filler chapter, because I figured two things needed to happen… okay, maybe three.**

 **1\. Sophia's birthday, because let's be real, birthdays are the best, and they need to be celebrated.**

 **2\. Barry needed to meet Sophia's dad, I mean it was about time.**

 **3\. Birthday sex? Jokes. But seriously, it happened, it was their first time. I have no regrets. I don't really write that sort of stuff, so it's very mild, just innuendo's and a bit of smooching. I'm not big on that sort of stuff, so sorry if you were expecting more!**

 **Pretty please, leave a review with your thoughts. Even if it's short, it means the world. More reviews = more motivation, I hate to be a broken record, but it's true.**

 **I'll be uploading Chapter 16 (which is MASSIVE by the way) on the 21** **st** **of Feb, aka Sophia's real birthday. Hope you guys enjoyed this one. It's full of fluff and you guys seem to like that.**

 **Til next time,**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue.**


	16. Run or Fly?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The Flash and Sapphire were on patrol, playing the role of Central City's guardians on this cold Tuesday night. Sophia noted to Barry earlier that night that she missed their weekend away, and suggested they go on another trip soon, but this time, just the two of them… alone… -what she hadn't realised was that Cisco was on the comm. and had heard everything she said, even the sultry tone she had used when she spoke to Barry. Ever since _that_ night, they had grown even closer than before, and she didn't get as flustered with her flirting as she used to. Cisco had said "First of all, Ew. And second, Barry's heart rate is picking up, so please stop with the dirty talk." To which Sophia rolled her eyes at his immature behaviour, then declaring that it hadn't even been flirting… well, not that much anyway. She flew around town a bit more, assisting in a few captures of thieves as they tried to rob small corner stores, or mug innocent civilians roaming the streets alone. Cisco then called through the comm. informing the pair of the car accident on the corner of fourth and twelve. They were down there within seconds, as per usual. Sapphire had gotten much faster with her flight.

It was taking her less than a minute to get onto the other side of Central City, and that was on a bad day. She was impressed with her improvements, noticing that she felt stronger, more agile than ever before… that and she had been spending at least four hours a day in the training room at Star Labs, practicing her blasts, shields and also focusing on her meditation. She found that by meditating she also relieved a lot of the stresses of the job, and she also created an environment for her mind and body to relax, rejuvenating her for the future.

When they arrived at the scene, Sophia immediately noticed the powerline that was sparking, and the car that looked like it was about to go up in flames. Barry immediately ran over to the couple stuck in the car, vibrating his hands on the door, ripping it open to grab the couple and get them out of there. As soon as Barry had picked up the two and dropped them a safe distance away Sophia threw her hands up in front of her, throwing up a shield around the car just in time to contain the explosion. She contained the car in the bubble like shield for a minute or two more, sucking out all of the oxygen available, setting out the fire, and leaving the charred remains of the car in its wake.

"How did…"

"I love you." And the couple on the side of the road who had just survived this terrible accident kissed passionately as they held onto each other tightly, relieved that they were both safe and alive.

Barry looked over at Sophia who was walking towards him, and winked at her, motioning to the couple. She rolled her eyes, but a goofy grin split across her lips, and she held her hand out to Barry, and he took it, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her.

"Run or Fly?"

"Fly, I kinda like the change," Barry replied and she laughed softly, holding onto him tight, as his arms wound around her waist, and off they were, flying into the night sky and back to Star Labs. How were they doing this you might ask? Sophia had now perfected her flight in more than one way. She realised that if she created a small disc like shape, underneath Barry's feet using the same structure and energy as her shields, she was able to give him a platform to stand on whilst they flew, which was easier than two people hanging onto each other desperately considering she didn't have super strength. Since this discovery she had received plenty of requests from Cisco who wanted to fly, basically anywhere and everywhere, but Caitlin was a bit more reserved, claiming that if she wanted to fly she would go buy a plane ticket… clearly her first experience flying with Sophia was one back in the early days… and that had traumatised her. Sophia revelled in the intimacy as they flew through the night sky, her eyes not focused on their destination but on Barry's face. She was so head over heels for him, but she just didn't know how to say it. She had never felt this way before about anyone in her life, and she was scared that she was moving too fast, too soon. But she let those thoughts drift into the wind as they slowed down, landing at their destination.

The two young superheroes were now walking back into Star Labs, to be greeted by high-fives and fist-bumps… well only from Cisco, but it was something nonetheless.

"Dudes, that was _insane_!" Cisco exclaimed as they arrived. "I mean, even I'm having a hard time getting mad at you guys for dirtying up my suits." Sophia looked down, examining her suit that was covered in soot, and looked over to see Barry's quite similar. They had stopped multiple fires that night, and saved a man from a falling building… and then the couple with the car… oh and Barry had taken out a handful of goons who had tried to rob a small jewellery store… on the corner of the CCPD. _Smart work on their part_ she thought, rolling her eyes. They had a productive night, and that meant getting a bit gritty.

"Your suit?" Sophia questioned, tilting her head slightly in contemplation before pursing her lips and shaking her head. "It's my suit _… I wear it_."

"Yeah, and _sweetheart_ , I made it," Cisco pointed out, causing Caitlin to roll her eyes at their childishness.

"Okay, when are we going to start considering it my suit?" Barry threw in, plopping down in a chair.

"I'd be comfortable calling it our suit."

"Hmm… I could agree with that," Sophia said.

"Fine, _our_ suit," Cisco agreed and they both nodded.

"Tonight was the fastest you've ever run Barry," Wells said to Barry who had donned a proud smirk. "And Sophia, I have to admit that your strength in terms of energy is growing by the day. Your training is paying off."

"That couple is alive tonight because of you."

"I can still get faster, I know I can." Barry said, and Sophia placed a hand on his shoulder.

"And you will one day, I'm sure."

"But for today, I'd say you've fulfilled your save quota. Both of you," Wells said to the two and Sophia nodded. She was ready to call it a night… well a date night. "Proper rest is what you need, as do we all."

"Better yet, what we all need is a proper drink. Who's up for a round?"

"Oh, dude, it's date night," Barry said, and Sophia leaned over placing a kiss on Barry's cheek.

"Damn right it is."

"But-,"

"Sorry Cisco! I promise we will do something tomorrow night," Sophia said.

"Fine," Cisco grumbled and Sophia laughed, before leaving to get changed, telling Barry she would meet him out front. Though she was thoroughly exhausted, as she slipped into her faded denim shorts, and a star wars vintage tee she was rushing out the door, excited to get on with the rest of her night, what she had been looking forward to all week long.

Though most would say that after three months of dating, they would be out of their 'honeymoon phase', Sophia was glad to say that it wasn't like that at all. They both still felt just as giddy and nervous- a good nervous- as they did on their first date, and they wouldn't change that for anything.

Sophia walked out the doors of Star labs, spotting Barry leaning against the wall. Maybe it was the way the moonlight was directed on his face in that moment, but she could feel the eruption of butterflies in her stomach, her heart bursting as she admired him. She was _so_ acting like a teenage girl, spotting her crush but she couldn't help the way he made her feel. Once he noticed her presence he looked up from his phone with a smile on his face, and she ran right over, tackling him in a hug.

"What's this for?" Barry laughed, wrapping his arms around her just as eagerly.

"Just missed you." She murmured into his chest.

Barry's heart warmed at the gesture, and he pressed a kiss into her hair, savouring the moment. It was times like these that he truly appreciated the love and joy that the people in his life brought him even though he had been through such tragic times. They hugged for a little while longer, before pulling apart, both faces glowing with happiness.

"So what mode of transportation would you like to take back to your apartment?"

"My car."

"Really?" Barry raised a brow, and she nodded, pulling her keys out from the pocket of her shorts, something Barry noticed was quite flattering on her legs, giving the impression that they went on for miles. His gaze met hers as she dangled the keys in front of him, drawing his thoughts away from how _good_ her legs looked, and to the present moment.

"Yeah, I came straight from work, so I have to bring it back… You can drive if you want," Sophia offered, and he shook his head.

"Mmm, I think I'll leave that to you."

And with that they were buckled in her car, heading towards her apartment, deciding on what to order for their date night.

"Thai?"

"No we had that last week…"

"How about-,"

"Indian?" Barry cut in.

"Mmm… I really want too, but curry this late at night will give me cramps." She remembered the last time they had ordered Indian this late at night, and it didn't sit well with her at all… which made her extremely upset because who the hell could say no to some good Lamb Korma, and garlic naan. _Oh my god, I need to stop fantasising about food this much or I'm going to get fat._

"Pizza perhaps? I can bring you Coast City's finest," Barry suggested, and when he saw the small smile creep up on Sophia's face, he knew that it was the right option.

"Extra mozzarella?"

"Yup."

"And olives..."

"Of course."

"Pepperoni?"

"You know it."

"Even spinach? I know you don't like it, but it just tastes _so_ good when it's melted in with the cheese," Sophia said, biting her lip just thinking about the mouth-watering pizza.

"Anything for you," Barry teased, and a grin broke out on his face when he noticed the blush on her cheeks. "You know it's adorable when you blush."

"You know what's not adorable? When you tease me, just so you can see me blush." She threw back playfully, turning to face him as they reached a red light. He laughed, and leaned forward, placing a kiss on her lips, gently caressing her face with one hand as he leaned over the middle of the car to reach her. She got lost in the kiss, desperately moving closer, aching to close the distance even further when loud beeping interrupted their impromptu kiss.

With swollen lips and tinted cheeks, Sophia turned back, sitting properly in her seat as she faced the road, her foot pressing down on the accelerator as she moved forward, trying her best not to burst out into laughter.

"Oh my god, that was so embarrassing," She murmured as she pulled up in the garage of her apartment building, receiving only a laugh from Barry in response. She noticed that lately he was becoming more confident, and less nervous around her, and she loved it, but it honestly was starting to drive her up the wall with desire. It's like he had no idea of the control he had over her, the way his smiles would get her heart racing… the way he said her name would get her blood pumping… the pressure was becoming too much, all she knew was that she was crazy head over heels for Barry Allen.

It was in that moment that she had decided. Next chance she got, she was going to tell him. She was finally going to admit it. She was going to say those five words that would either send her relationship rocketing into the sky, positivity all the way, or send it tumbling down a hill, and into a deep abyss of despair. She figured that she was being a little bit melodramatic with that last thought, but then again, life was unpredictable.

She was going to do it.

She was going to tell him. _It's easy. I love you, i… love you. I. love. you. See easy._

But when she turned her head to look at him, all that courage flew out the window.

 _God, for a superhero you really suck at being brave_ she berated herself. _Okay, so maybe tell him later… when you're not this scared._

"I'll go grab the pizza, meet you back at your apartment, in a minute."

"Sure thing." Absentmindedly she fiddled with the necklace that rested on her neck, the one that she had received from Barry on Christmas. She sighed, getting out of her car, and making sure no one was looking before flying up to her apartment, lifting open her window, and climbing through. As her feet slowly landed on the floor she looked around the room, spotting chewie perched on the arm of the couch, purring away. Sophia's face lit up with a smile, and she walked over to her cat, picking chewie up and rubbing her head, causing the cat to nuzzle its face into her hand.

"Missed you too Chewie. You hungry?" She asked the cat as she walked over, filing up her water and food bowl, leaving the cute cat to her own devices.

Sophia sighed, looking at her watch and chuckling lightly. Barry had said he would be back in a minute, it had now been five, and she was going to tease him about it when he got back. She yawned, pulling her hair-tie out, letting her hair fall down over her shoulders. She ran a finger through it, trying to make it sort of presentable. Just as she was about to walk towards her fridge to pull out some drinks, she was whisked away in Barry's arms before she could notice what was going on.

Breathless, she turned around, not expecting the change in scenery. What she saw next left her speechless. They were standing on the rooftop of her building, and she couldn't begin to describe the feeling that erupted inside her heart at the sight.

Periwinkle blue, and golden yellow fairy lights were decorated all around her, illuminating the rooftop, giving it a calm and cosy vibe. A table for two had been set up, a pearl white table cloth on the table, with a candle lit in the middle of the table. A bottle of wine was situated on the side, and the pizza from Coast City was sitting in the middle, which caused her to let out a small laugh.

"Barry," Sophia breathed out, turning around, looking at him, only to see him with a bouquet of tulips, her favourite. She brought her hand up to her mouth, trying to contain her mirth.

"H-How?" Barry shrugged, handing her the flowers, and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"I wanted to do something special for you… and by the look on your face, it was _totally_ worth it," He said, laughing softly.

"You're spoiling me," She said, biting her lip.

"It's my pleasure."

"Thank you." She said sincerely, and he took the flowers from her, placing them on the side, as he took her hand, pulling her over to the table, both of them with beaming smiles on their faces. As per usual, he was a complete gentleman, pulling out her chair for her, pouring them both a glass of wine, and serving up Coast City's finest pizza, which had them both laughing the whole time. They spent the rest of the night gorging on pizza, wine and enjoying each other's company. They spoke mostly about her work at the hospital. She was working oncology in the paediatric ward for the last month on rotation from her shifts between emergency and the cardiac ward. She told Barry of the struggle she had sometimes not to break down crying whilst she took care of the kids. She was usually quite good at keeping her emotions in check, in a professional manner, but telling the parents of a 3 year old, that their baby wasn't going to make it through the night was painful. When she studied, she was taught how to manage these stresses, and not internalise it, or worse, bring it home and not be able to shut it off. But she found that none of those strategies had worked that well for her in the past, and she was getting too tired these days to keep a written journal, so she was elated when Barry urged her to speak to him, and release some of the pressure off her shoulders.

"I guess it just serves as a reminder that we shouldn't take those who we love for granted," Barry said, and as he said those words, Sophia didn't know what to say, smiling softly in response.

"Thanks for listening to me rant, it's probably not what you want to hear after a long day," Sophia said, feeling bad for dumping all her depressing thoughts on Barry.

"Hey, it's alright. Plus, with the amount of times I've done the same to you, think of it as a mutual agreement that we can _dump_ on each other."

"Nice choice of words there Allen."

"Thank you, thank you," Barry murmured in embarrassment and she laughed at him, and even harder when he downed the rest of his wine, leaving the glass empty.

Crime fighting then took over the conversation as they moved on to discuss their extracurricular activities at Star Labs, talking over training regimes, and anything they had newly discovered about their abilities. They had even spoken about Team Arrow, wondering how their friends in Starling City were doing.

It was now nearing the end of the night, and Sophia was helping Barry pack up, and she couldn't stop yawning.

"Is my company really that boring?" Barry joked as she yawned again, leaning against the wall. She sighed, shaking her head, rubbing one of her eyes.

"No, your company is lovely, and if anything its kept me from falling asleep whilst eating… that has happened before," Sophia commented, laughing slightly.

"When was the last time you slept?" Barry questioned, as he rushed around the rooftop, finishing off the rest of the packing.

"Mmm. I _think_ I had a five hour nap on Sunday…"

"Sunday!?" Barry exclaimed, and she nodded, laughing. "It's Tuesday honey."

"Yeah, in between shift work, and super hero stuff down at Star Labs, and spending time with you, I-I just haven't had-," insert long yawn, "time to sleep."

"Well, let's get you in bed then." Sophia raised an eyebrow at his choice of words, smirking when a small blush tinted his cheeks. Even though they had been with each other before, the thought of intimacy still made Barry blush at times.

"You're on a roll tonight with the innuendos."

"I didn't mean- I mean _unless_ you want- I-I am just going to stop talking right now," Barry mumbled and she laughed, walking over and wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his collar bone.

"How about you stay the night? I could use a cuddle buddy," Sophia hummed and he smiled.

"I can do that."

* * *

Sophia woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than ever. It was one of those sleeps where you didn't have dreams, or small interruptions where you kept waking up, and tossing and turning for hours trying to fall back asleep. It was calming, and clear, and she hadn't had sleep that comfortable in a while if she was being honest. She was always on high alert, unable to relax enough in her own home to fall asleep. But falling asleep tangled in the blankets next to Barry was almost natural... She was asleep instantly, relishing in the warmth and comfort provided by his presence. It made her relive memories of their trip down to Kansas, and it reminded her of why she loved him so much, and how desperate she was to tell him.

As she opened her eyes that morning, squinting as the sunlight proved to be a bit too overpowering for her, she sighed deeply, enjoying the close contact. Her back was pressed against his chest, his arms draped on her waist lightly as they spooned. She tried her best not to wake him up, as she turned over, facing him. It proved to be quite easy, and so she spent the next ten minutes staring at him, admiring his face as he slept. He looked so peaceful, so serene and she wished it would always be like this.

She wished that all the pain, anger, hatred and misery in their lives would come to an end soon. They had all been pushing themselves harder to train, and become stronger, faster and more agile in order to finally apprehend the Reverse Flash, but it was proving to be quite stressful. Mostly because since Christmas there had been no sightings of him, and they had no idea where to start in terms of identifying the mysterious killer… that also happened to be a meta-human with super speed, one that was faster than Barry. Sophia was also worried about Anna, and in particular the mysterious message that Rathaway had passed on the last time they had met. She wasn't sure what he meant, how he knew, but she was scared that it meant something bad had happened to Anna, and she was determined to discover exactly what that was.

Sophia closed her eyes, sighing as she tried to rid those thoughts from her mind. She just wanted to focus on all the positives. When she opened her eyes again, she stared at Barry for a moment longer, and she felt him shift slightly under her gaze.

"I know I'm incredibly handsome, but there is no need to stare," Barry mumbled sleepily, his eyes still closed as he put his arm back around Sophia, pulling her closer to him so their foreheads were now resting against one another.

"Mmm, sorry, I just can't help myself," She hummed softly as his eyes opened to meet hers, a small smile gracing her lips. Just as he was about to reply, his phone went off, the incessant buzzing interrupting their moment.

"You better answer that," Sophia said.

"But I'd rather be doing something else…"

"And what is that?"

"Kissing you," He breathed out, leaning closer towards her, and though she was so tempted to close the gap, the phone was still ringing.

"Well as much as I love that idea, it's nearly 10am, and that's probably Joe calling to yell at you to get your cute ass to work," Sophia said, then pondering the last comment "though probably minus the cute part."

Barry leaned over her, grabbing his phone from the side table and answering it.

"That was Joe," and she smiled gleefully in predicting it. "Some guy escaped Iron Heights last night, I need to go down there and check it out."

"Better get moving then," She said, sitting up in her bed.

"Goodbye kiss?" and we all know what happened next.

* * *

With gloved hands Barry crouched down to the ground, collecting a sample from just outside the prison cell of a Mr. Clay Parker, the criminal who had mysteriously disappeared from his cell the night before. He inspected the sample in the plastic bag with care, hoping that this would be the key to piecing together what happened… he had a feeling that this was business involving his second, more secretive day job.

Just as he stood back up, his eyes trailing over every inch of the room, trying to catch anything else that looked out of the ordinary, Joe had walked in.

"The security cameras in half the prison are shut down, then Clay Parker, according to this data log, who was _still_ locked in his cell, somehow vanishes," Joe recounted the details of the escape to Barry, sighing deeply as he tried to logically produce an explanation for the situation. He looked to Barry for his insight, noticing the bag in Barry's hand. "What's that?" He asked, inclining his head in the direction of Barry's hands.

"It's some kind of organic particulate residual… I found it on the floor in here, just outside the cell in the hallway. Trail led me all the way outside," Barry explained, as he moved towards the door, showing Joe where the trail was leading, and that's when he bumped into a familiar face.

"Dad," Barry breathed out, surprised to see him, and for the first time in a long time, he was seeing him, face to face, with no glass barrier in between them. Henry, Barry and Joe laughed, it was smiles all round.

"So, word around here is Parker pulled a Shawshank?" Henry asked, and Joe nodded.

"Yep, and none of the other prisoners heard or saw anything."

"Well, they wouldn't talk to you about it."

"Leave us with not a lot to go on."

"Well, if there's anyone who can figure out how Parker got out of here, it's you, Son." Henry smiled at Barry, trying to give him as much support and love in his gaze as one could. Henry wished for nothing more than being able to walk over and give his son a hug. Just a long, overdue hug.

"Come on, Allen, Let's go." The guard pushed, ushering Henry to continue walking.

"Duty calls," Henry sighed, giving Barry and Joe one last smile before moving on down the hallway.

" _So_ , my dad just happened to come by?" Barry questioned with a raised brow, his grin still intact.

"The guard owed me a favour."

"Thank you."

Both Barry and Joe had gone their separate ways, Joe heading to the CCPD to dig further into the investigation, and Barry back to Star Labs where he would continue to analyse the evidence he found at the crime scene, with the help of his favourite science nerds.

* * *

Sophia felt as though swirling around in the chair at Star Labs was becoming a norm. They were still waiting for the results to come back from Caitlin's lab, where the advanced machinery that she couldn't even pronounce was beginning to synthesise the DNA that was found on the sample.

"Aha! It's done," Cisco announced, and Sophia bounced off her chair, running to see what was going on, Caitlin and Barry not far behind.

"Not even Barry's cells move this fast," Caitlin said as they examined the rate at which the cells were moving and metabolising. The rate was moving insanely fast, changing faster than Barry's which was a big surprise to them considering that he was the fastest man alive… well besides the man in yellow.

"How is that possible? It's tripled the speed of Barry's, probably even more," Sophia said, moving to stand next to Caitlin, her arms crossed, mimicking the red heads body language.

"I'm flattered, that you know that." Barry teased and the two girls glared at him for a moment, causing him to stick his tongue out at Sophia.

"So Clay Parker is a meta-human?" Barry questioned, wondering why Clay didn't get out sooner if he had the ability to do so… it didn't make much sense.

"Not so fast Flash," Sophia said, as she sat back down at the computer next to Cisco who pulled up the records of a female criminal, side-kick, and side-chick to Clay Parker.

"The particulate residue you gathered at Iron Heights does contain Clay Parker's DNA, but also DNA of a woman," Caitlin said.

"We ran her DNA against the CCPD criminal database. Her names Shawna Baez," Sophia said. "Mostly petty crimes, and this girl likes to _party_ … apparently. Long list of disorderly conduct at local bars."

"So, I'm guessing we find her, we find Clay parker," Sophia said.

"I'm going to go fill in Joe, call me if you find anything," Barry said before speeding out of there.

"In the meantime, let's track these particulates and see how they work," Caitlin said, and the others nodded getting to work.

Cisco had been sitting at his desk, contemplating Rathaways words. He had gone to see him earlier, passing on the daily delivery of food when he brought up Ronnie and Anna again, and the suspense was driving him insane. What if he did know, what if he happened to have all the answers to their questions? But then again, Rathaway was a pathological liar, so there wasn't a lot to go on in determining if he was trustworthy or not. Cisco looked across the room at Sophia who was sitting in her chair, tapping away at her surface tablet, wondering if he should approach her about the subject. He hadn't told anyone yet, and he wondered if she had mentioned what Rathaway had said to anyone. Judging by the fact that no one else had mentioned it, he figured that she too was unsure of what to make of his fibs.

"Hey Soph, mind if you help me out with something down in the particle accelerator?" Cisco asked, eyeing Caitlin carefully, hoping she wouldn't ask any questions.

"Um, ok," Sophia replied, unsure of what it was about at first, but then when she saw the weary looks he was directing at Caitlin, she realised it must be about what Rathaway had said to them weeks ago when they locked him up. She had to admit it had her on edge as well. With Anna missing, Rathaway seemed to be the key to the puzzle, and she wasn't sure she wanted to make a deal with the devil.

She walked out of the cortex, following Cisco down to the particle accelerator where they could talk in private.

"Do you think we should trust Rathaway? He said he knows about what happened to Ronnie, and that might put us one step closer to finding him, and finding out what happened to him. Not to mention he knows something about Anna," Cisco stated and Sophia crossed her arms, leaning against the wall behind her.

"I-I'm not sure. As much as I want answers, I don't think we should trust him."

"I was hoping you would say that," Cisco said as he pulled out a special pair of handcuffs from his pocket.

"I think I know a way we can get our hands on those answers, and still make sure he doesn't run away."

"Ok, let's hear it," Sophia said leaning forward, intrigued.

* * *

Sophia and Cisco had decided on their plan, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Sophia tried to convince Cisco to wait and let her come with him after she helped Barry sort out this Clay Parker business, but Rathaway was a pain in the ass, and said that if they didn't comply within the next hour, he would make sure not to tell them a thing. Sophia had made Cisco promise to wait regardless, and not to do anything without her there, and he had nodded, setting her at ease for now.

So whilst Cisco was secretly handling that issue without really handling it, Sophia was trying to help Barry hunt down Clay Parker. They had just gotten word from Joe that Henry had been asking around at the prison, and it turns out that Clay owed money to some big shot named Marcus Stockheimer, and that the first thing he was most likely to do was to pay off his debt to avoid getting put on a hit-list.

Sophia and Barry were back at Star Labs, in the cortex with Caitlin who was explaining some new findings she had discovered in regards to Shawna's abilities.

"I was analysing the particulates that Clay Parker and Shawna Baez left behind, and I found something _very_ interesting," Caitlin said, pulling up microscopic images on her screen of their DNA samples. "When Clay's cells come into contact with Shawna's, they adopt her properties."

Sophia looked over at the screen, examining the change and she was impressed, she then noticed that Caitlin was biting her lip, and looking at the screen with a worried expression.

"Something bothering you?" Barry asked from the other side of Sophia, clearly picking up on Caitlin's quietness as well.

"Why would you ask that?" Caitlin questioned defensively.

"You're doing that biting your lower lip thing that you do when something's bothering you," Sophia said, and Caitlin sighed deeply.

"I'm fine."

"Okay," Barry said, though he didn't really agree with her.

"Cisco says I don't have a life!" Caitlin suddenly burst out, standing up straight and crossing her arms, an angry pout breaking out onto her face. Barry and Sophia broke out into soft laughter at her expression.

"You don't, do you?" Barry teased, and Sophia shoved him, giving him a look to be quiet.

"I do! I cook, and I-I eat, and I read, and I help you…" She trailed off, slowly realising that her argument was sort of lame.

"So what you're saying is, you do everything that has nothing to do with having a life," Barry threw back.

"You don't have to be rude about it," Caitlin grumbled.

"Hey, we're not doing any better than you. Our dates consist of sitting on my couch, eating pizza and binge watching Netflix when we aren't running around the city and fighting crime," Sophia said, placing a hand on Caitlin's shoulder for support when she scrunched her nose together.

"God we need to get some social lives."

"Agreed."

That's when the computer chimed, bringing their attention to a new update on the police scanner.

"There's an armed robbery in progress, two suspects, male and female in their 20s."

"Sounds like our meta-human Bonnie and Clyde are at it again," Sophia said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Time to ruin their social life," Barry said before he and Sophia zoomed off to the crime scene.

* * *

The two arrived on the scene to see Clay Parker dumping bags of cash into the back of his car, with his girlfriend, and meta-human Shawna Baez.

"Oh, I've read about you. You're the Flash, and you're Sapphire," Shawna said, rolling the sleeves of her leather jacket up to her elbow. "I've heard you're real fast. Let's see if it's true. Catch me if you can."

"I can," Barry said with a smirk, running after her as she teleported, her body disappearing into thin air, and then reappearing in another location. Barry ran, trying to catch her, but as soon as he moved to the spot she was in, she appeared in another one, and further away.

Sophia tried throwing shields around her, trying to capture her in a bubble, but that didn't seem to work either as Shawna teleported too quickly. She then yelled at Barry to duck, and she sent a ring of cobalt energy out, a shockwave erupting from her fingertips, emanating in all directions which hit Shawna when she reappeared in front of her car. The energy shocked her, sending her sprawling to the ground in pain. Barry then ran over ready to catch Shawna when Clay pulled out his gun, firing a bullet at Barry's head, who just barely caught the bullet as it pressed into his neck. Clay had then fired another shot, the bullet grazing the side of his abdomen as it whizzed by, still slicing through his skin.

But from where Sophia was standing, all she saw in slow-motion was Barry get hit, noticing the slight trickle of blood trailing down his hand as he fell to his knees, wincing in pain. Seconds later Clay and Shawna were gone, nowhere to be seen, having teleported out of there and with some of the cash that they could carry as well.

"Barry!" Sophia yelled, rushing forward to help him as he collapsed to the ground, blood seeping through his suit. She applied pressure to his wound to try and stop the bleeding, calling out his name desperately when she didn't hear a response. "Barry!"

* * *

 **A/N – We've reached over 110 followers! That is ridiculously exciting. Glad that you guys enjoyed the little getaway, and that they had finally met Arthur Lang! Exciting times.**

 **I am so sorry if you guys are disappointed that this chapter was split into two, BUT it was just way too long as one chapter, and I figured it would be better to end it this way, with a little bit of mystery. P.s. sorry for any grammar or punctuation mistakes, again I've been lazy with my editing, but I haven't managed to pick up on anything too crazy, so if there's anything drastic, please let me know.**

 **Thank you to all the new followers and favourites, and to all those that reviews.**

 **Replies:**

 **Natalie: Thank you again for your reviews! Glad that you liked that little birthday special even though it wasn't a Valentine's Day thing. The crossover for the Flash and Supergirl won't be happening til season 2, or at least until I see the episode when it airs so I can decide if it can be done earlier, or leave it til later. Again, thank you so much for your support.**

 **Ms. O'Leary: Thank you for the review. You missed out on the other chapter, but made up for it with the really long reply. ;) I loved writing that part as well, I thought it was a great way to incorporate a little bit of comedy between the two. YES, I wish I had her new suit. It's both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, so it ticks all the boxes. I wanted to make her father quite relaxed and not angry. It's refreshing, and also, seeing that his daughter is so in love is all he has ever wanted for her. For her to be happy, especially since he knows that is what her mother would have wanted. Still a mystery with Hartley, but a swift discussion will bring you answers soon. Likewise, I always love writing crossover episodes. They are absolutely delightful. It's like a giant party.**

 **Highlander348: Barry practically lives at her apartment at this point, but yeah, they need to get to that stage, but they first have to say those four special words…which well, aren't too far away as you could probably tell by this chapter.**

 **The more reviews, the faster the second part comes up. Otherwise, that'll be next weeks update, because I start uni again, and the workload alone is killing me. ;)**

 **Have a lovely weekend guys! X**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue**


	17. Crazy About You

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 _Previously on, Fight or Flight -_

" _Barry!" Sophia yelled, rushing forward to help him as he collapsed to the ground, blood seeping through his suit, as she applied pressure to his wound to try and stop the bleeding, calling out his name desperately when she didn't hear a response._

Sophia could hear her heart pounding in her ears. The sound was so loud that it made her stumble for a moment as she moved closer to Barry, placing her hands firmly on his wound to stop the bleeding. It continued to grow louder and louder as she felt the sticky blood seep into her gloved hands. She looked down at him, seeing that his head was down, hunched over his chest. She called out his name once again, this time getting a response as he looked up at her from his awkward position on the ground, holding a bullet in-between his fingers.

"Guess I'm a lot faster than a speeding bullet," Barry joked lightly, and she could see his brow furrowed underneath his mask. Still in shock, she didn't even respond, just glared at him through her mask. Her heart had lurched in her chest, and it was practically sitting in her throat after the scare that he had just given her. The bullet had been so close to penetrating his skin, and if another millisecond had gone by, it would have killed him in an instant. Something that no rapid meta-human healing could have fixed.

"You could have died," Sophia breathed out, her heart still racing. She was so scared that in that moment, he wouldn't be fast enough. "Oh god."

"But I didn't," Barry reassured her, but the look of pain on his face didn't match the calming tone of his words. "Just a little bit banged up," He said as he looked down to see that he was bleeding from his abdomen.

She helped him stand up, and he held onto her, using her shoulders as support.

"Wrap your arms around me," Sophia instructed. She was going to fly them back to Star Labs. It would be fast and it wouldn't aggravate his wound as much in comparison to him running back. Barry just nodded, biting the tip of his tongue as he tried not to make a sound from the pain as he moved.

"Let's get you back to Star Labs," Sophia said, sighing as they left the scene, empty handed, and nearly broken hearted as she thought about how close he had been to getting fatally injured.

* * *

"Shawna can teleport," Sophia explained once they were back in Star Labs, watching Caitlin check up on Barry's neck, tending to his wound. She knew she would freak out even more about the whole bullet nearly piercing his neck and killing him if she did it, so Caitlin was taking the reign on this one.

As soon as they had rushed in Sophia was urgently cleaning his wound, Caitlin aiding her as they cleaned and stitched up his abdomen, in the worry that had been deeper than they realised. They were both relieved when they saw that it was just a light flesh wound and there was nothing to worry about.

"That's how she got away. How _they_ got away," Sophia continued, placing her head in her hands.

"You're lucky it just barely broke the skin, Barry," Caitlin said, and Barry groaned, yet another complaint. The only one who seemed to think it was cool that he caught the bullet was Cisco, but then again, he still knew not to say that in front of the two girls who were currently sitting there, worrying over Barry's injury.

"As in, "Beam me up, Shawna?"" Sophia nodded.

"Yes, of course," Wells said from his chair. "Quantum entanglement. The ability to manipulate interconnected particles over an infinite distance."

"Or, as Einstein put it "Spooky action at a distance." Sophia rolled her eyes at Cisco's comment, not in the mood for jokes. It was times like these that mad her remember that being a hero came with consequences, and that it wasn't always fun and games. Sometimes, people died.

"Every time I got close, she would disappear."

"She was too fast for me to even think about getting her trapped," Sophia grumbled, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she sulked. "The only thing that got her on the ground was when I hit here with a shockwave of energy, and even then it only stopped her for a short time."

"It was like we were playing a game of-," Barry spoke but he was cut off by Caitlin.

"Peek-a-boo." Cisco looked to Caitlin in surprise that she had come up with such a good name on the spot. "Come on, can't I name one?" Caitlin shrugged and Cisco nodded, commending her on a good choice.

"How are we supposed to catch her if we don't know where she's gonna be next?" Barry asked.

"Everybody has limits, Mr. Allen. Now that we know Shawna's powers, we'll focus on those limits, starting with Sophia's attack on her which seemed to yield some results." Wells said, and Sophia nodded agreeing with him, moving into the Caitlin's lab to try and sort out some calculations. She figured that if she could shock Shawna long enough, it would dismantle her, giving enough time to get her thrown into their meta-human prison without too much trouble.

Barry followed her into the room, closing the door shut, wanting some privacy. He could tell that Sophia wasn't in a good mood after what happened this morning, and he figured he should talk to her about it. He had noticed her skittish behaviour, and how she had barely spoken a word since they had returned.

"Soph, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," She said, putting on a fake smile as she looked back down at the computer she was working on, typing away, her fingers hitting the keyboard furiously, leading Barry to believe that everything was not 'fine'.

"Soph," Barry placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around to look at him, a neutral expression on her face, but her eyes looked tired, like someone had drained her usual bubbly personality.

"I'm alright. You know that don't you?" Barry asked, placing a kiss on her temple. She closed her eyes, relaxing under his touch as she kept telling herself that he was here, that he was alive.

"Barry, you could have died today, that bullet was inches from ending your life. Doesn't that phase you?" She asked, with a frown.

"In this line of work, I could die any day, and so could you. We just have to be thankful that today wasn't one of those days," Barry said.

"I-I know its dangerous work, but it just stresses me out, please try and be a bit more careful."

"I promise." He moved forward, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a long hug, reminding her that he was still here, and that he was safe. Her hands settled on the side of his neck, making sure not to touch the sensitive area at the back where he had been hit.

"So I was thinking we could go check out some of the bars that Shawna and Clay frequented, see if they decide to show up anywhere familiar," Barry suggested, and Sophia nodded, liking the notion. She had already done some research into their night life and she had a brief idea of where they might show up.

"They mostly went to south side dive bars," Sophia said tilting her head up to look at Barry. "I have the names of five different ones that they frequented, usually showing up every Thursday, Saturday and Monday nights after 10pm."

"How did you know that?" Barry asked with a raised brow as he leaned back further, his hands still planted firmly on her hips.

"I did my homework."

"If you weren't a nurse, you would make one hell of a detective," Barry said, and Sophia smiled, sticking her tongue out.

"I actually wanted to… when I was younger. I just felt that I could do more good as a nurse than a cop." Barry was surprised to hear that, but he knew that whatever she set her mind to, she could accomplish great things, and he was sure her parents would have been proud either way. "Well it was either that, or I wanted to be an astronaut," She teased, sticking out her tongue.

"You're amazing, regardless," Barry said, leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on her lips, unable to help himself. His tongue darted out across her lips causing her to sigh into the kiss as she gripped onto his shirt, desperate for more, but they needed to come back up for air.

"Alright, enough with the flattery," Sophia scoffed, as they broke apart. She could tell what he was doing as he tried to work his way back into her good books.

"Come on, we both know that secretly adore it."

"Not as much as I adore you," Sophia said, sticking out her tongue. She was tempted to say the word love instead of adore, but she there was an uncertainty sitting in her gut that prevented her from uttering those words.

"Now, who's trying to flatter who?" Barry questioned, biting his lip, causing her eyes to be immediately drawn to his mouth. He smirked when he saw her eyes trail down to his lips and laughed at her next words.

"Just kiss me you, goofball," Sophia breathed out.

"With pleasure," Barry grinned, leaning down to capture her lips in a searing kiss, their arms wrapping around each other effortlessly. Barry smiled into the kiss, unable to help himself, and when they broke apart, she leaned her forehead against his, her eyes boring into his green ones. She knew that she would commit this moment to memory, the way she felt, the love she felt. It would remind her that Barry was the only one for her, even if he didn't feel the same way.

"Why don't we go see if Caitlin wants to salvage her social life?"

* * *

Caitlin had agreed to join them as they staked out the bars, looking for any sign of Shawna or Clay, but the two girls went home to change into something a bit more appropriate, telling Barry that they would meet him there.

Sophia was feeling much better after her talk with Barry. Her worry had simmered down, and she felt at ease.

Sophia was at Caitlin's apartment, lounging on her couch as she waited for the red-head to finish changing. Sophia was dressed in a black number that stopped just above her knee, showing off her long legs that were complimented by a pair of black platform shoes that gave her the perfect boost of height without being too uncomfortable. The dress was a sleeveless boat neck style, with a back that dipped, but was still tasteful in its design. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun, to show off her neckline that adorned the necklace that Barry had given her for Christmas. She kept her make-up neutral, only applying a slight tint of pink to the lips to give a little colour. She was excited to dress up, not having the opportunity to do so much, at least not like this.

Caitlin emerged from her bedroom dressed in a dazzling dress that sparkled away, her hair curled in red ringlets that framed her face in a lovely light, the dark make-up showing off a side of Caitlin that they rarely saw back at Star Labs.

"Wow, you look great," Sophia said with a tone of surprise. She had never seen Caitlin like this before, and it was a nice view.

"I don't always dress like a high school principal," Caitlin said to Sophia who laughed at her comment.

"You look amazing by the way, Barry's going to be blushing all night long," Caitlin commented, motioning to the back of Sophia's dress.

"It's not too much is it?" Sophia asked, self-consciously tilting her head to the back to look at her dress, wondering if it was too extravagant. Then again, it wasn't as sexy as the dress she had worn on her birthday, and she knew what had happened at the end of that night in result of it.

"I think he'll love it."

And with that the two girls were on their way to enjoy the night out on the town, because even though it was mean to be an opportunity to find Shawna and Clay, the likelihood that they would pop up was rare. Plus Barry was officially their designated driver considering the alcohol wouldn't have an effect on his metabolism, so they were ready to get as Caitlin put it 'get a social life'. But most importantly, Sophia wanted to figure out how many drinks it would take to get her drunk.

* * *

Sophia and Caitlin walked into the crowded bar, looking around for Barry. Sophia spotted him sitting by the bar, at a small table, looking relaxed in his chair, that was until he noticed them walking over. His eyes widened, and it was almost comical. She wanted to laugh at the cheesiness of it all, but there was a part of her heart that yearned for it, that was beating faster at the longing look as Barry's eyes darkened, trailing from the top of her dress, down to her legs as she walked over.

"You look beautiful," Barry whispered as she sat down next to him.

"Thanks."

"And Caitlin, you look great," Barry complimented, and Caitlin returned her thanks with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Caitlin called one of the waitresses, "I would like to start a tab," She announced with an animated smile, causing Sophia and Barry to laugh, surprised at her willingness to get drunk and so fast as well, as she downed Barry's glass that was sitting on the table.

They ordered their drinks, the colourful mixtures of alcohol arriving at their table a few minutes later, along with some shots that Caitlin had ordered. Sophia admitted to the two that she hadn't gotten proper drunk since her 21st birthday party, and Caitlin was quick in ordering her a shot of vodka.

"Bottoms up," Sophia announced, winking at Barry as she picked up a glass, and downed it in one hit, her nose scrunching as the cold liquid left a burning trail down her throat, igniting a buzz that she hadn't felt in a long time.

The girls continued to have their fun, sipping at their drinks, enjoying the buzz they received from the alcohol, though Caitlin was more on her way to being drunk than Sophia, most probably due to the difference in their metabolism. Sophia was slightly tipsy, and she would like to keep it that way, wanting to remember the night. Caitlin then suggested to Sophia whilst Barry was getting some more drinks that they should try out karaoke, after all it was an open mic night. Sophia shook her head, knowing that she wasn't the greatest singer out there, and tried to warn Caitlin that she wasn't either, but in her drunk state she just took it as permission to get up there and start singing. That is how Barry and Caitlin ended up on stage, singing to the crowded bar.

Caitlin had yelled through the mic, calling Barry to come and sing with her, leaving him with not much of a choice.

"Mr. Barry Allen!" She yelled loudly into the microphone, "Come on down!"

"I'm not doing it," Barry said to Sophia who looked on with laughter, as he shook his head vigorously, mouthing to Caitlin from across the room that he wasn't coming.

"Oh, _come on_. Show 'em what you got." Caitlin said, and the crowd cheered, clapping as they tried to encourage him. Sophia looked over at Barry who was still sitting in his chair, and then she yelled out, starting a chant throughout the crowd. "Barry!"

"Barry! Barry! Barry!" The chanting got louder and louder, and Barry glared playfully at his girlfriend who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. Next thing she knew, Barry was up on stage with Caitlin singing Summer Nights from Grease.

"Summer lovin' had me a blast, Summer lovin' happened so fast," Caitlin sang, her voice coming out choppy and way off key which had Sophia giggling from her table as she sipped from her drink.

"I met a girl crazy for me," Barry sang, his melodious voice echoing throughout the bar. Sophia nearly dropped her drink in surprise. She hadn't known that Barry could sing, let alone that good. Barry seemed to notice her surprise from the stage, and winked at her as he continued to sing causing her to blush a light pink.

"Summer days, drifting away to, oh, oh, those summer nights." They continued to sing, until the song was over, and Barry was practically serenading her from afar. She downed another few drinks in the time they were up there singing, enjoying the buzz and the look he was giving her from the stage.

When they arrived back at the table, sliding into their chairs, Sophia turned to Barry immediately, a grin on her face.

"If I had known you had such a great pair of vocal chords on you, I'd have made you sing for me," Sophia told him, and he laughed as she finished yet another drink. "So you're fast and you can sing, what can't you do?" Sophia teased, leaning her head on the palm of her hand as she gazed at him adoringly.

"Stop you two from drinking, apparently," Barry said as Caitlin downed another.

"I'm not even sure that was mine, _ugh_ , I have to go to the bathroom," Caitlin said leaving the table.

"That was quite the show there, I think I'll have to get you to sing for me more often," Sophia declared, tilting her head to the side to gaze up at Barry, and it was in that moment when she realised that she was quite drunk at this point because she felt as though the whole world was turned upside down, and she had barely tilted her head.

"Woah, easy there," Barry leaned over to support her weight when she nearly toppled over the chair.

"I think you've had enough to drink tonight."

"Whatever you say, Captain." Sophia was struggling to keep her eyes open, and she kept blinking at Barry's form only to start seeing double. Her vision was blurring slightly and she was starting to freak out.

"Barry, honey, t-there's two of you," Sophia's words were slightly slurred as she continued to blink furiously. Nothing seemed to work, and then she focused her eyes again, and they glowed a bright cobalt, which made it easier to see.

"Ah, that's better," Sophia giggled and Barry's eyes widened, as he looked around frantically, hoping no-one saw that.

"Sweetie, close your eyes. We're in public," Barry leaned over, whispering in her ear.

"Oops," She blinked once and her eyes returned to their normal brown and she continued to laugh. "That was close."

"I think we better get you home," Barry looked around to see that Caitlin was still gone, and no one was paying particular attention to the couple. He wrapped his arms carefully around Sophia and ran them back to her apartment, dropping her off in the safety and comfort of her home before running back to the bar and dropping a sick Caitlin off in her own humble abode. It was seconds later that he was back in Sophia's apartment and he saw her struggling to take her dress off, her arm twisted towards her back as she tried to unzip the dress, though her efforts were not paying off.

She turned around to see Barry there and sighed in relief, rushing forward and collapsing in his arms.

"Oh, it is so good to see you. Unzip me?" She asked dazed as she turned around, moving her hair slightly so he could help her out.

"Sure," Barry mumbled feeling slightly nervous at her request. His fingers grasped the zip, pulling it down with ease, the material stopping just underneath the arch of her back. As he did so, his fingers slightly grazed the skin on her back, sending shivers down her spine at the intimacy, reminding her of their night together in Kansas. Sophia who had closed her eyes in pleasure, forced them wide open as she tried to sober up. _This is not the time for these thoughts_ she berated herself _especially while you're drunk… maybe next time, when you aren't so doped up on alcohol_.

"Thanks." She had managed to choke out, before moving to find a change of clothes in her closet.

She had then sent Barry off to find her a glass of water, and some painkillers for the headache that she could already feel coming on whilst she got changed into something more comfortable. Once dressed in the softest PJs she could find, she collapsed on her bed, snuggling up to her blanket as Barry walked into the room, placing the glass of water on her bedside table.

"Sleep tight."

"Where are you going? Stay," Sophia asked softly, yawning in between the last request.

"Anything for you," He said, plopping down next to her on the bed as she shuffled closer, leaning her head on his chest, her eyes closed as she tried to fall asleep. One hand was wrapped around her waist, the other softly combing through her hair as he noticed this seemed to send her into a deep sleep faster. It was a fun night, especially to see her drunk, but he knew that she would wake up in the morning with a raging hangover.

"Sweet dreams Soph," Barry whispered softly, pressing a kiss to her head, only to hear something in response that he was not prepared for, something that both excited him, and scared him at the same time.

"Mm, I love you," Sophia mumbled into his chest as she drifted off into a land of dreams, leaving Barry staring at her with wide eyes. He didn't know how long his shocked expression lasted for but he knew that he was now wide awake. He wondered if what she had said was actually true, or just the work of the copious amounts of alcohol she had consumed only a few hours ago, resulting in a false confession of love, leaving him restless all night long, as he stared at the beautiful girl laying snuggled into his side.

* * *

Sophia woke up the next morning to find that she had a horrible hangover. Wow. What a surprise. She groaned as she rolled over in her bed, only to find an empty spot. She frowned in confusion, remembering that Barry had stayed with her during the night. She sighed, rubbing her eyes before checking her phone to see a message that Barry had left. He said that he was called in for work, and would meet her later at Star Labs, alerting her that they had found some new leads on their peak-a-boo case, and that she should try and get in by at least 10, as not to waste time. She checked her phone and cursed as she looked at the time. It was now nearing 11 and she was nowhere near ready to get running to Star Labs.

By the time she had gotten ready, she threw on some sunglasses because the light kept distracting her, and glared furiously in her eyes. She went to grab her keys then realised that she probably shouldn't drive in her current state, and then figured flying it was.

"Flying and drinking, is that a thing?" She mused to herself as she shot out of her window and into the sky. At least the fresh air had done her some good, and the sunlight had forced her eyes to adjust even though it was painful. By the time she got to Star Labs she felt more refreshed, and hoped that there was no alcohol left in her system. It was hard to tell considering she could barely remember the previous night.

She slipped off her sunglasses into her pocket as she took the lift up to Star Labs to see Caitlin walking in at the same time. She wanted to laugh at it all, it was so comical. Caitlin was dressed in what seemed to be her most comfortable coat, and she had a large cup of black coffee in her arms, and a pair of black sunglasses on her face.

"Hey!" Sophia greeted, and Caitlin cringed, shaking her head.

"Would you kindly stop screaming?" Caitlin inquired softly, rubbing at her head.

"Caitlin, I'm not screaming," Sophia clarified, looking at the doctor with a weird expression. Obviously Caitlin was still very hungover.

"Oh…"

"Well, everything is very loud, and everything hurts," Caitlin huffed as she took a sip of the steaming coffee that was in her mug. The doors then opened and they walked into the cortex to be greeted by the rest of the team.

"Hi," Barry said, sliding up to stand next to Sophia and Caitlin.

"Hey," Sophia greeted Barry, placing a kiss on his cheek. She didn't remember much of last night, especially after the bar, only that Barry had made sure she was home safe and tucked into bed.

"So loud," Caitlin mumbled.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Barry asked, his eyes directed on Sophia. She shook her head.

"Not much."

"Mmm, I don't remember much from last night," Caitlin said.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best."

"Summer lovin'," Barry sang softly and Sophia burst out into laughter as Caitlin cursed under her breath.

"Now, _that_ I remember. After the bar, it all gets a little… fuzzy," Sophia said and Barry's face visibly dropped. She looked at him with a confused face, unsure of why he looked upset but then her attention was directed at Cisco and Dr. Wells who were sitting on the opposite side of the desk, and looking quite serious.

"What's wrong?" Barry asked, stepping forward.

"Cisco has something he needs to tell you," Dr. Wells said in a strained tone.

"Hartley's gone," Cisco announced.

"He escaped from the pipeline? How is that even possible?"

"I let him out," Cisco said meekly.

"What! I told you not to do anything but talk, until we spoke about it," Sophia yelled at Cisco, her confession causing everyone else to turn their attention to her. With wide eyes she realised how that sounded. "As a team, t-talk about it as a team." She said, gulping and then avoiding all eye contact with Barry and Caitlin, and thanking herself for wearing sunglasses that morning.

"Are you mad? I can't tell with those glasses on," Cisco asked Caitlin.

"I'd like to yell and wave my arms, but I'm afraid I'd throw up," Caitlin admitted, and Cisco let out a breath of relief. "Why? What were you thinking? You know how dangerous he is."

"Hartley said he knew what happened to Ronnie, and he knows where Anna disappeared off to."

"Anna's missing?" Barry questioned, turning to face Sophia.

"Yes," She admitted, sighing as she knew she was going to get lectured for not letting anyone besides Cisco know… probably from Caitlin, though Barry seemed to be asking all the questions.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" He seemed upset, and she cringed at his tone.

"Because, I didn't want to worry anyone. Plus, Rathaway is a pathological liar, I bet he doesn't even have any information on Anna… but Ronnie… that's another thing all together," Sophia said. Barry just looked over at her, sighing as he tried to put himself in her shoes. He knew how much Anna meant to her, and for her to suffer through her disappearance just after she had gotten her back made him feel guilty for not being there for her.

"Its fine," Sophia told him, as though she could read his thoughts. "We'll find her."

"I just want you to know that I'm here for you, no matter what."

"I know," Sophia said, giving Barry a side hug as their attention was then focused on the other side of the room.

"I didn't want you looking into that for me," Caitlin said to Cisco, bringing the two out of their conversation.

"I wasn't doing it for you," Cisco said, licking his lips. Something he did when he was nervous, or feeling guilty. "I sealed Ronnie into the accelerator before it blew up. H-He told me to wait _two minutes,_ and I waited, but he didn't come back… and I can't stop thinking, Ronnie wouldn't be like he is right now. I've wanted to tell you _so_ many times… I'm so sorry."

"So you carried that all around this whole time? Do you know what Ronnie would say if he was here. He would say that you did the right thing. It wasn't your fault. What happened that night wasn't anybody's fault." Caitlin said, as she walked towards Cisco, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. After hearing his words, her anger had dissipated as she listened to all the guilt that Cisco had been hiding away for the last year.

"Come on, don't we have a teleporter to catch?"

"We do have a teleported to catch, and fortunately we do have a promising theory."

"Take a look at this. Now this is the normal behaviour of the particulate that Shawna left behind. Watch what happens when we remove light." As soon as the light was gone, the particles stopped moving. "Take away her ability to do that…"

"She can't teleport," Barry concluded.

"Exactly."

"So we just need to get her in a dark space," Barry established and Dr. Wells nodded.

"How do we do that?" He asked.

"I have an idea," Sophia said, and before she could elaborate, Barry got a phone call, and his face paled within seconds. This day just kept getting worse. He hung up, and Sophia could hear his heavy breathing.

"What's wrong?" She asked, stepping forward and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"My dad, he's been stabbed," Barry said, and her eyes widened, her hand reaching for his in an instant.

"Go, we'll take care of this." Barry gave her a nod before rushing out of there, leaving a gush of wind in his wake, and Cisco's papers flying everywhere.

"Damn, I thought I bought you another paperweight," Sophia mentioned, and he shrugged sheepishly.

"It broke again," Cisco said causing Sophia to shake her head. She tried not to think about Henry's injury, and how Barry was coping right now, because they needed to come up with a plan to catch Shawna.

"So what's this idea of yours?" Cisco asked.

"Simple, I'm going to catch Shawna," Sophia stated simply.

"Mind telling us how?" Cisco asked sarcastically, crossing his arms.

"It's a bit hard to explain, easier to show you. Also, let's see if we can find anything that will give us a hit on Shawna's whereabouts or where she'll pop up next," Sophia said. Everyone agreed with the plan, Caitlin and Dr. Wells getting started on an algorithm to track Shawna, whilst Cisco and Sophia worked on the physical part of the plan.

* * *

Barry was sitting in a hospital chair beside his dad's bed. As soon as he was up, Barry was asking questions. Joe was there as well leaning against the wall, as they waited for Henry to wake up from the anaesthesia. Henry had given them both a right scare when they had heard the news. Barry wasn't even close to being ready to loosing anyone again, he figured he would never be.

"What happened?" Barry asked, concern all over his face.

"A rather stern reminder, I'd say, not to poke around Marcus Stockheimer business," Henry replied.

"Dad, I told you to stop," Barry berated, sighing deeply as he sunk back down into his chair. He was so worried when he got the call. Ever since there was a pit of anxiety bubbling up in the bottom of his stomach. He had already lost one parent, and he wasn't ready to lose another.

"Your dad called me with more Intel, it helped us track down Clay and Shawna, and arrest Stockheimer," Joe said and Barry groaned, turning to face his dad who went to speak again.

"I managed to screw up Marcus's big heist too."

"So you two kept working together and didn't tell me?" Barry was angry at them both for being so irresponsible.

"It isn't his fault," Henry pleaded, "I did it to help you."

"You getting stabbed and beaten is not helping me," Barry threw out.

"Look, I don't get to feel useful very much in here. So if I can help you for a change, I'm gonna want to be there for you, just like you've been there for me all these years."

"You said Marcus had a big heist coming up?"

"Mm," Henry hummed.

"Do you know anything else about it?" Henry shook his head, feeling bad that he wasn't able to get out any more information before he was attacked.

"Dad, tell me who did this to you," Barry urged.

"No, it doesn't matter, slugger."

"But you said you want to help me, so help me," Barry pleaded. He needed his father to be honest with him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get to the bottom of this.

"One of Marcus's boys, Julius," Henry reluctantly told Barry and Barry stood up, giving his dad a hug goodbye, pressing a firm kiss to his forehead before he left. He had business to tend to, and he was going to make sure that Julius paid for his crimes.

* * *

Barry ran into Iron Heights a flurry of rage pumping through his veins. He spotted Julius and grabbed him, dragging him just outside the compound fence of Iron Heights.

"What the hell?" Julius spat out in shock.

"Evening Julius," Barry said in his 'flash' voice. The vibrations seemed to make his voice deeper, and with his current tone, darker. The criminal standing before him was easily scared, especially since he was outside and he knew what the consequences of that would turn out to be.

'How'd I get out here?" Julius asked turning around to see that he wasn't in the prison anymore.

"You escaped," Barry stated with a smirk.

"They catch me trying to escape, they're gonna add give years to my sentence!" Julius exclaimed, panicking.

"Ten, actually. Unless you tell me where Marcus Stockheimer's next job is gonna be." The alarms in the prison suddenly went off and this sent Julius into an even greater state of panic.

"Oh! Guards will be here any second… I'd start babbling," Barry taunted.

"Okay! Okay. It's a TDK and money transfer truck coming from the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis. Supposed to be millions, delivery is around 8 o'clock," Julius's mouth was running as he spat out as much information as he could. He didn't want to get caught trying to escape because that would mean he would be spending another ten years in that crappy hell hole on top of his current conviction. "That's all I know, I swear."

"That's right now," Barry noticed as he checked the time, calling Sophia, telling her where to meet him.

"Hey! Hey, what about me?" Julius yelled as the cops were getting closer and closer. Barry rolled his eyes, and left the scene, leaving Julius to be caught by the guards, good enough payment for nearly killing his dad.

* * *

Sophia got to the scene just on time to see Shawna and Clay in their car, turning into a tunnel. She landed in front of the speeding car, and Barry arrived just on time, running next to her. Shawna teleported out of the car, and in front of them, ready to fight.

"Why the hell do you care what we do? Are you cops or something?"

"Something," Barry said, and he ran at her, as she hit him with what looked like a baton. Both Sophia and Barry were fighting her at the same time, and it was hard to keep up when she kept moving around so fast.

"Limit her field of vision," Wells reminded them through their ear piece as Shawna got back into the car with Clay. Sophia noticed the lights in the tunnel and looked to Barry.

"I got this."

She brought up both of her hands, sending a wave of cobalt energy into air, directed at the lights in the tunnel, each and every one of them shattering at the same time, encompassing the tunnel in complete darkness. Barry zoomed over to the car, ready to catch them both when he saw Shawna sitting in the front seat, and no Clay.

"He left me," was all she said, feeling defeated and heart broken.

Sophia flew over, putting Shawna in a bubble-like shield that she had been working on with Cisco just this afternoon. She had to focus extra hard, but she had thrown over so many layers that it blocked all light out, keeping Shawna in a bubble of darkness as they transported her back to Star Labs.

They stood there in particle accelerator prison, watching as Shawna tried to teleport out of there, but was only able to move about two steps in her prison cell.

"Is there any way she can teleport out of this?"

"It's impossible, it's one-way glass. It's mirrored on the inside. No one dangerous is ever gonna get out of this thing again," Cisco said firmly.

"Shawna, Clay left you, he's out there and you're in here."

"You know what the crazy thing is? I still _love_ him." At the mention of the word love, something in Sophia's head clicked. She suddenly remembered what she had forgotten last night, what had become fuzzy in her brain that morning was now crystal clear. _Shit._

"Yeah… crazy," Sophia said dazed, her heart pounding in her chest. Had she actually said that to Barry before she fell asleep? She felt so bad right now that she had said it and had forgotten. _No wonder he looked so deflated this morning_. She groaned, and set off to find Barry and fix things. It was now or never.

Sophia pulled out her phone, ready to dial Barry's number when she spotted him sitting in the cortex alone. She walked into the room, shaking her hands by her side as she tried to get rid of her uncertainty.

"Hey," Sophia breathed out. She suddenly felt nervous, and her throat tightened up. _Why are you nervous you've already said it… just while you were drunk and falling asleep… how hard can it be?_

"Hi," Barry said with a small smile.

"How's your dad?" _Really leading with that? Maybe you should apologise first for saying I love you whilst you were drunk, and forgetting about it the next day._

"He's alright, healing well, so that's good," Barry said, and Sophia let out a breath of relief at this, happy that Henry's injury was getting better. "He was just trying to help in whatever way he could. But I made him promise not to do it again. It's not worth the risk."

"Agreed. It's good to hear that he's getting better."

There was an awkward silence for a second and Sophia took a step forward, grasping Barry's hands in her own. His warm hands just felt right in her own, and she knew that didn't regret how she felt for him.

"Listen, there's something I need to tell you," Sophia said, and Barry's eyes met hers, and instead of getting more nervous she seemed to relax a little bit, leaning into his touch slightly.

"Last night, I said something, and I want to apologise," she started off slowly.

" _Oh_ ," Barry said, his heart sinking in his chest. _She didn't mean it…_ The sad look in his eyes sent her panicking as she realised he must have taken that the wrong way. _You have such a way with words Sophia_ she groaned internally.

"N-not because I didn't mean it, but because I said it whilst I was drunk… and then I forgot about it." She took a deep breath. _You can do this Soph._ "But I want to say it now, and I want you to know that I mean it." She paused, not for effect, but because she was sure her heart was going to burst.

"I-I love you, _I am so in love with you_." At this point she was trying not to breathe heavily, but she her anxiety wasn't helping that much. Barry's face erupted into a smile and she swore she could see tears in his eyes, or maybe that was her own blurred vision, she wasn't sure. But before anything else happened, Barry moved forward, wrapping his arms around her, capturing her lips in a loving kiss. It was soft, slow and sweet and at this point she knew she had done the right thing, she had finally said it. Slowly they pulled away, their faces still in close proximity.

" _I love you_ ," Barry whispered against her lips, and her heart soared, and he honestly couldn't say he was surprised with how fast she had kissed him after that. By the time they had broken apart they were both breathing heavily, their lips slightly swollen and Barry started laughing, too happy to contain his emotions. She grinned, giggling along with him.

"I thought that you had just accidentally said it-," Barry started, but she had cut him off.

"It wasn't an accident _… I'm crazy about you_ … I've been wanting to say it for a while now, but I was scared-," now it was his turn to cut her off.

"Scared? Why would you be scared?"

"Scared that you didn't feel the same way, scared that it was too early," She admitted sheepishly, and he brushed his nose against hers, giving her an Eskimo kiss.

"Never." He rubbed his hands over her cheeks, cradling her face in his hands as he leaned down to kiss her again. "I love you," Barry repeated again, not able to get enough of it.

"I know," Sophia replied with a laugh, and Barry caught on to her sneakily quoting Star Wars yet again. He mentioned how it was too cute, and she blushed, something he teased her about before she punched him in the arm.

He kissed her once more before telling her that he was going to go and visit his dad. Sophia nodded, telling Barry she was going to go and check up on Cisco, and see how he was going. They parted ways that afternoon with grins planted on their faces, and a promise that they would meet each other that night.

* * *

"So you told her you loved her?" Henry asked, leaning forward as he spoke to Barry, interested in the story he was telling.

"Yeah," Barry admitted with a grin, and a light blush on his cheeks. "I love her dad, she's… she's everything that I could have ever wanted."

"I'm happy you found her," Henry told his son with a smile. "So the strangest thing happened. I get roughed up by Julius, end up in here. Next thing I know, Julius is caught trying to escape, claims The Flash broke him out."

"Won't be seeing Julius for a long time now," Barry tried to be nonchalant about it, but he could tell that his father knew something was up.

"Guess I'm lucky too, huh?" Henry said with a raised brow.

"Dad, if I was The Flash, don't you think that you'd be the first to know about it?" Barry tried to convince him, but he knew how smart his father was, and he wasn't fooling him one bit.

"Yeah. Well, if The Flash were my son, I'd tell him a few things." Henry began, " _First off_ , I'd tell him it's a dangerous world, so be careful. Then I'd tell him he's a hero. And he's saving a lot of lives. But most the most important thing for him to know, I feel, is that his father's _proud_ of him."

And that night, when Barry went to sleep, his arms wrapped firmly around Sophia's bare waist, his eyes fluttered closed, and a smile was painted on his lips the whole night through.

He had a girlfriend that he loved, and that loved him.

He had the amazing support of his friends, who were there, every step of the way through his continuing journey as The Flash.

He had an amazing family with Joe and Iris.

And most importantly, his father knew he was the flash, and he was _proud_ of him. That's all he could ask for and more.

 **A/N – HOW WAS THAT? They finally said their first 'I love you' to each other after 135,000 words ahaha.**

 **I hope that you all enjoyed it. There's been a drop in reviews lately, and I'm not sure if that's because you guys aren't enjoying the chapters, or are… so please leave a review, even if it's a short few words, so I know that you guys are liking the direction this story is heading in.**

 **Also, who watched the latest episode of The Flash? I won't post any spoilers here of course, but man, was that a good reveal. Also, p.s. I called it this entire time… I'm sure quite a few of you would have as well.**

 **A warm welcome to all the new followers and faves! Glad you've joined the family! Excited to have you here.**

 **Replies: Most replied to via PM.**

 **Thank you AnimesHopeAndLove for your lovely comment.**

 **Ms'Oleary: That was the aim! Hope you enjoyed the part 2 as much as you did the first one. Yes, its similar in that way. She uses her energy and forms it into different things, but mainly she uses her blasts because she finds that it doesn't exert as much energy. She hasn't exactly got the same power as a green lantern would… she would find it quite difficult to create shapes and objects like they do with such ease. I really wanted to add in some fluff and love, so there it was. Anna's last name will come up in the next chapter… I totally forgot to include it.. But her last name is of no real consequence in terms of her character.. it isn't a big plot device or clue to anything anyway. Next chapter you find out all about that because we get some more info and a special guest! So stay tuned. Thanks again for the lovely words.**

 **And as usual, thanks to you all for everything. Hope you liked this one.**

 **Heroherondaletotherescue.**


	18. Metropolis Bound

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"I like 'em sassy, going down the backstreet, listening to black street," Sophia rapped, dragging the last word as Macklemore played in her ears. It was three am, and she couldn't sleep, so the logical thing to do was to head downtown to run in the park… in the middle of the night… right?

She continued to hum to her song as her feet pounded on the pavement as she jogged in a steady rhythm.

 _Cruising down Broadway what a wonderful view._ She agreed with the lyrics.

Stars illuminated the night sky, and the street lights lit up Central City with a calming yellow glow. The empty park helped to calm her thoughts. It had been nearly a month since Hartley Rathaway escaped from Star Labs, and Sophia was still next to zero with leads on Anna's current whereabouts. Now that things in Central City had seemed to calm down, she was thinking of flying down to Metropolis to conduct her own investigation, but she wasn't sure if it was the right move. She wanted to talk to Barry about it, but they had been so busy lately and she just didn't know how to bring it up. She was thinking of asking him the next morning, since they had a breakfast date at Jitters.

Speaking of dates, it was nearly a month since they had spoken their first 'I love you'. Their relationship had bloomed even more, if that was possible. Barry liked to be spontaneous, so there were times where she was coming home from a long day at work, ready to crash and burn, but he was there to pick her back up and take care of her.

He was honestly more than she could have ever wanted. She knew it sounded cliché, but it was true. She had lived on her own for a long time, and now coming home to someone felt good. Barry hadn't moved in with her, but he would spend some nights at hers when he could, the others at home with Joe.

Her mind then travelled to thoughts of the older West. Joe had dug up some more information on the night Barry's mother had died with the help of Cisco, and they were keeping it from Barry, which had her worried. She knew how that had turned out before and she wasn't ready to face those consequences again. Joe promised that it wasn't anything big, and he didn't want to tell Barry in fear of getting his hopes up, and she only believed it when Joe showed her that all they knew was that there were two splatters of blood on the wall that night. One was Barry's and the others must have been the Reverse Flash's. She did tell him and Cisco that it kind of was big, but then they explained that they hadn't analysed it yet, and promised that before they did they would tell Barry. She decided to leave it to them, she had enough things to worry about at this point.

Which brought her back to the next problem. Iris had spotted her as Sapphire one day while she was saving a window washer, and had taken a photo of her as she landed, settling the old man carefully on the ground. Okay, so a photo of her in a super-suit wasn't that incriminating when she had her mask on, right?

Wrong.

Sophia had been in a rush that morning and had forgotten her necklace on… the necklace that Barry had given to her. She had seen the photo and noticed that it was a bit blurry, but, knowing Iris she would figure out a way to connect the dots… something she loved about her friend, but in this case, something that didn't work out too well for the both of them. She felt horrible for lying, but she hadn't told a lot of people about her new abilities. She hadn't even mentioned it to Anna, well she wanted to, but she had disappeared before she could. Her father didn't even know. She didn't want to tell anyone in fear of putting them in the sight of criminals who would take advantage of them.

She shook her head, trying to rid her head of all the thoughts running through. Her mind felt clogged, like it was a washing machine that had too much clothing in it, and not enough water or detergent to spin it all around, and now it was just getting stuck and gross and confusing.

With deep breaths, she continued to push herself, lifting her wrist up to her face to check her watch to see that it was nearing four am. She had been out for nearly an hour. _Time to go home_ she thought, and that's when she heard a scream. She ripped out her earphones, turning on the spot with cautious eyes as she listened out for anything else, but only silence met her ears. She stood in the same spot on the pavement in the middle of the park, breathing hard as she caught her breath, waiting for an indication of where the scream was coming from. And that's when she heard whimpering coming from a bush behind her. She turned around, pulling the grey hoodie over her hair to cover her head when she discovered a young girl, probably no older than 17 being attacked by two men. She was being punched, over and over by one man, the other holding her arms behind her back, with his other hand over her mouth.

Sophia ran into action immediately without a second thought, jumping the bloke who was assaulting the young girl. She ran forward, jumping up, giving herself enough momentum as she came back down, slamming her elbow in the crook of his neck, causing him to fall to the ground, yelping in pain. She didn't even have to take out the other guy, only forced her eyes to glow a terrifying blue causing the other one to run away in fear… well at least he tried to run away. She sent a blast of energy at him as he ran away, hitting his legs, sending an electrostatic shock throughout his body, causing him to crumple down to the ground in agony. _You deserve that you little piece of crap._

Sophia turned to the girl, her eyes still glowing- keeping her identity hidden.

"Did they hurt you anywhere else?" She asked, slowly moving towards the girl, not wanting to disturb her even more.

The young girl was stunned into silence from the shock of her attack, and from the mysterious saviour, especially considering that the woman had kicked their assess within seconds. She just nodded with red eyes, and a swollen lip, unable to form a coherent word at this point.

"Let's get you to a hospital, I'll get these two back to the police."

The girl nodded again, but not before bursting out into tears and running forward to hug Sophia, her arms wrapping around her middle as she hugged the superhero, crying from what had just happened. Sophia gaped, her mouth slightly open as the girl held onto her tight. She sighed, upset that this young girl had been traumatised so badly. She put her arms around her, holding her close as she tried to comfort her.

"Hey, hey it's alright. You're safe now," She cooed, rubbing the girls back softly as she dialled the cops, leaving an anonymous 911 call. They arrived shortly, and Sophia had settled the girl down on a park bench near-by, placing the two bandits on the ground next to a tree, both of them unconscious. She then shot up into the starry night, hiding further up as she watched the cops enter the scene, arresting the pathetic scum that had attacked the young girl. She watched them for a few moments longer, smiling when she saw the young girl with a shock blanket draped over her shoulders, and paramedics tending to her injuries. Knowing she was now safe, she flew off in the direction of her apartment, ready to call it a night.

She was so exhausted by the time she had arrived home, that she hit her head on her window that was half open. _So much for co-ordination Sophia_ she berated herself. She groaned in pain, trying to keep her balance as she pushed her window, flying through her window, landing on the floor once she got through. She sighed, stripping her running clothes off and jumping in the shower for a quick scrub. She trudged out of her bathroom, throwing on her PJ's that consisted of one of Barry's tee shirts that he had lent her once, and a pair of shorts. It was then time to flop down in bed, and get some much needed sleep now that her mind wasn't distracted by her thoughts.

* * *

It was now 9am and Sophia was walking down the road, wearing a baby blue knee-length dress with a dark wash denim jacket over the top to keep her warm, and her pair of black and white converse to get her through the day. It was a nice twenty minute walk from her apartment down to Jitters, especially considering the weather was so beautiful that day. The sun was out, and there wasn't a cloud in sight, but the cool soft wind kept it a comfortable temperature.

She pushed the door open at Jitters, the bell making a little noise to indicate that there was a new customer in the store. She looked around for a moment before she spotted Barry sitting at a table, Iris standing next to him as they had a little chat. She smiled as she saw them and walked over.

"Hey," Barry greeted as Sophia approached the table. She offered him a smile and sat down in the chair across from him.

"Hi."

"So, what may I order for you two lovebirds?" Iris inquired, pulling out her pen and paper.

"Coffee and pancakes for me, you know how I like it," Sophia said to Iris, giving her a wink. Jitters mainly did coffee and desserts, the occasional pastry, but their breakfast selection was pretty good. They had pancakes, waffles (even though those shouldn't really be eaten for breakfast, but who cares), eggs with various cold meats and sautéed veggies. Basically, they had one hell of a chef working out back.

"And you, Mr. Allen?" Iris asked, turning to face Barry.

"Um, I'll have the all-day breakfast, with an extra egg, an OJ, a cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes," Barry said nonchalantly as he looked over the menu. Sophia just laughed at Iris's expression as he read off the list.

"It's a wonder he isn't fat," Iris teased as she wrote down their order.

" _Hey_ , no teasing the customer," Barry grumbled playfully.

"Mmm, I think he's pretty good," Sophia commented, as her eyes roamed Barry, not even caring that she was so obviously checking him out.

"Okay, we'll time for me to go. Your food will be out shortly." Iris said with a smile before leaving.

"You're pretty good too… by the way," Barry said with a wink and she laughed, rolling her eyes playfully.

"So, how was your night?" Barry asked, leaning forward. After he had left her place, he had been hauled up at his lab for the rest of the night, going over his father's case, trying to find something he could use, but once again, he met a dead end. Until they found out more about The Reverse Flash and what had actually happened that night, they wouldn't get anywhere.

"You mean after we trashed my bedroom when we decided to have an impromptu _super_ pillow fight?"

"Yeah," Barry said sheepishly remembering the way they had trashed her bedroom. They had been in a passionate embrace, Barry's hands trailing up her shirt as their lips melded against one another, and that's when she twitched, her body jerking to one side. He had found a spot where she was ticklish and because she denied it with a shake of her head and wide eyes, he found that he had no other option than to continue tickling her. This had then somehow transformed into a pillow fight as they laughed to their hearts desire. Fluff and feathers from the ruined pillows were everywhere. But in the end she made Barry use his super speed to clean it all up, otherwise they would have been there all night.

"It was fine, but there was-" She was about to tell Barry about what transpired that morning, but was cut off when Iris walked over with their food.

"Hey, did you guys hear about the girl that got attacked last night?" Iris asked. "It's all over the news."

"No," Barry replied, his eyes darting from Sophia and then back to Iris.

"This girl, was getting beaten up by these two lowlife creeps. She was saved by a mysterious girl wearing a grey hoodie. From the way the girl described her and her powers, it must have been Sapphire, but she wasn't in her super-suit which was weird," Iris pointed out and Barry's eyes moved to Sophia who was trying to act like she was interested in Iris's point.

"Well, I guess all that matters is that she was there, to help that girl," Sophia commented, taking a sip of her coffee that had just arrived, even though it was steaming, and Iris eyed her for a second, before just nodding with a smile.

"But you'll never guess what. I think I have a lead!" Iris exclaimed, a glint of excitement in her eyes.

"A lead?" Barry asked hesitantly, unsure if he would like what he was going to hear next.

"The other day Sapphire saved some window-washer, I managed to get a photo, but it was super blurry. But I have a friend down in Coast City who is working on getting a clear image. It looked like she was wearing a necklace of some sort… it's hard to tell, but it's a lead." Sophia took a deep breath, glad the necklace was tucked underneath her high necked dress.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" Barry asked, trying to convince Iris not to do it. This was the last thing they needed on their plate.

"It's kind of in my job title… investigative reporter and all."

"But if you do find out her identity, won't that just put her and everyone she cares about in danger if people find out?" Barry asked, trying to get her to see it from his point of view. "She's just trying to help protect the city."

"I'm going to find out who she is, whether I publish it or not is a different question," Iris said with a strong tone of finality, walking off to get back to work.

Sophia suddenly felt queasy and didn't want to eat. She knew deep down that if Iris found out, she wouldn't publish it, she wouldn't tell anyone. What she was worried about though, was the uncertainty of if Iris forgive her, or Barry for keeping it a secret.

"Soph-"Barry started off slowly, and she shook her head.

"I'm just going to use the bathroom real quick," She rushed out, getting out of her seat and escaping to the bathroom. She closed the door of the stall and leaned against it, taking deep breaths.

 _Inhale and exhale._

 _Inhale and exhale._

 _Inhale and exhale._

After a few deep breaths she felt more relaxed.

 _It'll be fine. It's a super bad photo, she won't find anything. I'll just make sure not to wear the necklace visibly around Iris anymore… she's not going to find out._

With one last exhale, she walked out of the empty bathroom, washing her hands and went back to the table.

She noticed that Barry's back was slumped and she felt bad now because he was probably worrying like crazy about it as well. If Iris found out that she was Sapphire it wouldn't be long til she connected the dots about Barry as well, and the fact that they had lied to her all this time.

"Are you alright?" Barry asked as soon as she sat down. Sophia nodded reluctantly, trying to give him a small smile.

"I'll be fine. We can talk about it later, let's just enjoy this breakfast, I've been looking forward to it all week," She said, placing her hand on top of his that rested on the table, her fingers curling around his palm with a light squeeze.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Barry said and she blushed at the endearment.

* * *

The two lovers had enjoyed their breakfast together, even though they spent most of it mulling over the worries that had been sprouted upon them that very morning. They had finished up there and decided to move to a stroll in the park before Barry had to head to the CCPD, and herself to work.

Sophia had decided that she was going to go to Metropolis for a few days. She just had to tell Barry now. She hoped that it would also help on the Iris front. She figured if Sapphire was out of sight in Central City for a few days, it might put out the flame that was currently burning against her name. As Sophia explained to Barry her plan, she looked over at his face, inspecting his reaction as they walked. Barry also said that he would get the whole necklace thing sorted out and have Cisco change the details in the system so Iris couldn't back track it to them.

"So do you think it's a good idea?" She asked.

"If it's the only way to find out what happened, then… go," Barry said with a sigh. He would be fine for a few days, definitely miss her, but he was more worried that she would get herself into trouble while searching for answers.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," Barry said, taking her hand and pulling her to stop underneath a tree.

"Promise," She said rolling her eyes. She could take care of herself, and he knew perfectly well that she could.

"Hey, I'm being serious here," Barry said, placing his hand on the side of her face, her gaze meeting his own. Her eyes flickered from his own down to his lips, and suddenly they were kissing. She casually draped her arms around his neck as his found their way to her waist. The kiss only lasted a few seconds…okay maybe a minute, but that was it, and then they had broken apart, her breath tickling his face in the most attractive way.

"How's that for a promise?"

"It's good, _but_ I think I may need a refresher."

* * *

It was that night Sophia had decided to leave, figuring it would be a bit more inconspicuous if she flew when there was darkness in the sky to avoid too much attention being brought to her. She threw a few things into her backpack, making sure that it was secure enough not to break throughout the flight. She figured she could get to Metropolis within seven minutes at her top speed, something she was still working on improving every day.

Now that she was done, she made sure to turn off all the lights and power plugs in her apartment before she left, locking the door from the inside as well.

"Time to go chewie," Sophia said as she picked up her cat, holding her close to her chest with one hand, her backpack slung over one shoulder. She opened the window to her apartment, sticking her head out to see if anyone was around. Once the coast was clear, she pushed it wide open, slipping out as stealthily as possible, hovering in mid-air as she turned around to close it shut.

Sophia then flew in the direction of the west household, ready to drop off her cat in the caring arms of Barry who was to be cat-sitting for a few days. She landed carefully behind a tall bush in their front yard, her feet touching the ground softly. She walked to their front door and knocked, waiting for an answer.

The wooden door swung wide open to reveal Iris, something she wasn't expecting.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Iris asked, as she motioned for Sophia to come inside.

"Just dropping off my cat. Barry's cat-sitting for me," Sophia said with a small smile.

"I didn't know you were going anywhere," Iris said and Sophia tried to be as casual as possible.

"Just going to visit my dad for a few days," She said coolly, hoping that Iris bought it.

"Only taking your back-pack?"

"Yeah… I've got a whole closet full of old clothes sitting there, so I don't need much." Sophia had to come up with a lie on the spot, telling Iris that she was catching a flight down in an hour, so she had to get going. Barry was apparently held up late at the CCPD with Joe and they wouldn't be home for another two hours according to a message they had sent Iris. Sophia was disappointed that she couldn't see them to say goodbye, but she needed to get going. She hugged Iris goodbye, telling her that she was going to get a cab to the airport.

She walked a few blocks away from the West household and then shot up into the sky, moving north in the direction of Metropolis city.

A blanket of darkness was draped over Metropolis, the city humming with the noise of late night workers, and taxi drivers. Sophia found that Metropolis seemed to be much more crowded at night on the streets than Central City was. She admired the sight as she flew over the main city, going deeper and deeper, flying in between the buildings as she tried to keep hidden.

She eventually landed in an alleyway that was parallel to Anna's tall apartment building. She then carefully entered the building via the lobby, pressing the button on the elevator to take her to the 18th floor where Anna lived. She knew that it was unlikely that she was there, but it was a good place to start looking for clues.

She wrapped her knuckles against her door, waiting for a response. She pressed her ear against it, listening out for any noise, any signal… but there was nothing. Nothing but silence.

She tried the handle and it was locked. She looked around the hallway to see no one in sight, and no cameras either. With a deep breath she focused, sending a zap of her energy into the handle of the door, melting the lock right off. She tried the handle now and the door swung wide open, creaking as it did so. She smirked at her handy work before carefully moving forward.

Stealthily she moved into the apartment, tip toing as she tried to make no sounds. She figured hovering would have been better and guaranteed no noise, but in case there was someone around, she didn't want to give away her identity. She scoured the apartment, looking for any clues, but it looked virtually the same since the last time she was here. Everything was in its place… in fact, everything looked too clean, as though someone had cleaned it up on purpose.

But before Sophia could make it to the bedroom she heard someone land on the balcony. She freaked out inside for a few seconds before remembering that she was kind of a badass superhero and she had nothing to be afraid of. Carefully she walked towards the living room, her eyes focused on the set of white doors that opened out onto the balcony. She turned the handle of the door, opening it wide and stepping out on the balcony, cautious of her every movement. She looked around to see that no one was there, and frowned in confusion, ready to head back inside when suddenly he appeared out of nowhere.

For a man of his size and build, he seemed to land gracefully on the balcony, his step as light as a feather. Her eyes were wide and she honestly couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't believe that _he_ was standing in front of her.

"Superman?" She whispered in disbelief, her eyes trailing over his tall, muscular form as he nodded, acknowledging her question.

"And your name is?" He asked, crossing his ridiculously toned arms, his eyes sharp and scrutinizing. _He clearly didn't miss bicep day._ Her mouth went dry when she realised what was happening. Technically she was breaking and entering, and Superman had come to well… arrest her? Apprehend her? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. She need to explain the situation, and fast.

"Uh, I know how this looks, but I swear I wasn't doing anything illegal," Sophia quickly rushed out, as she brought her hands up in front of her as a sign of peace.

"It sort of looks like you were," Superman replied, and she would have laughed at the whole situation, had she not been in this position.

"I can explain," she tried again, this time receiving a nod from the man of steel.

"I'm waiting."

"My friend, Anna-" she began, but was cut off by Superman.

"You know Anna?" Superman questioned and for a second it look liked he regretted uttering those words, but Sophia was too caught up in the fact that it seemed like _he_ knew Anna.

" _You_ know Anna?" She asked incredulously. _What the hell is going on?_

"I asked first," Superman said, taking a step forward, his tall form intimidating under the moonlight.

"She's my best friend, has been ever since High School. How do _you_ know her?" She answered him, but he ignored her question, seemingly distracted by something behind her. He moved forward, faster than she could realise, and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up and flying into the night sky of Metropolis. When she realised what was happening, she freaked out at the fact that he had basically kidnapped her as they kept flying. She struggled against his strong grip, yelling at him as they flew.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" She yelled, as she tried to wiggle out of his hold.

"It's for your own protection, we can't talk here," Superman said. _So much for being the good guy_ she thought.

"I'd rather fly by myself thanks, didn't sign up for this ride," She grumbled, and his sensitive hearing easily picked up on her words. She brought her hands to his and shocked them with her energy, but it didn't seem to do anything.

"Figures," she mumbled, trying not to cringe as he ignored her little attempt to escape, focusing on drifting through the tall buildings of the city without being seen.

Their flight ended a few seconds later as they landed on top of the roof of the Daily Planet. He placed her down carefully on the roof and she moved several feet back, away from him, unsure of what he would do next.

This time it was his turn to be on the defensive. He brought his hands up carefully, his palms faced out forward towards her.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. The building was being watched, it wasn't safe to stay there any longer," Superman explained.

Sophia gulped, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, something she did when she was nervous.

"A little bit of warning would have been nice," She said slowly, taking a deep breath. "So we're here now, let's talk."

"Why were you at her apartment in the middle of the night?"

"She's missing. Haven't heard from her in a few months, that's not like her… plus I got a tip off from a known criminal, who knows his stuff," Sophia said. As soon as Hartley had blurted out the words that he knew that something had happened to Anna, Sophia was desperate to find her. If he had some sort of inclination that something was going on, it probably meant that she was in trouble with criminals, or meta-humans of some sort, otherwise Hartley wouldn't take interest in her at all.

"She's safe," Superman replied in a steady tone, eyeing the girl in front of him. He did a quick scan using his X-Ray vision, and he was at least content with the fact that she didn't seem to be carrying any fire-arms, then again, she was probably capable of doing much worse without a weapon.

"How do you know that? Do you know where she is?" Sophia said, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"I can't tell you," He said in a stiff voice.

"Why not? She's _my_ friend, she's practically family," She nearly yelled out in anger. She wasn't about to let him get in her way, even if he was a good guy.

"I know who you are. Sophia Lang, she spoke about you all the time. But I've never met you before, I don't know if I can trust you. For all I know, you're a _gifted_ , linked with the first attack."

"Attack..." Sophia whispered with a confused expression. "What attack? Did someone hurt her?" She asked, taken aback from this new information, worried even more for her friend. When Superman didn't say anything she crossed her arms before sighing. She needed to get him to trust her. She flew up into the air, hovering lightly over the ground, her eyes glowing cobalt.

"My name is Sapphire. I am a protector of Central City. Anna is my friend, and I just want to make sure she's alright. You've seen my face, you know my identity, so trust me," Sophia's words came out stronger than she intended them to, but she knew that the truth in her words would be enough to convince him… at least that's what she hoped.

Superman listened to her heartbeat as she spoke, and it was clear. No irregular patterns or thumping. She was telling the truth.

"I believe you, and I hope I can trust you too." And when he said those words, she relaxed a little bit, glad this was heading in a better direction than before.

"What happened? Who attacked her?" She asked, lowering herself back to the ground, her eyes returning to their natural brown.

"A group of gifted people attacked her, interested in her _ability_." Just thinking about what happened again was enough to make his blood boil. The attack was pathetic and cowardly, and he was upset at himself for not being able to capture them as of yet.

"What ability? She doesn't have any," Sophia stated, frown lines settling in on her forehead.

"She didn't tell you?" He asked, and she shook her head. She didn't know what to feel. Anger… frustration… disappointment… "She can travel through time."

"What? That's not possible," Sophia breathed out, her balance wavering for a moment.

"That's rich coming from the girl who just flew a moment ago, especially considering you're saying that to the super powered alien from another planet," Superman said sarcastically, causing her to glare at him. It was silent for a moment as she mulled over what he had said. When she thought about it, she hated that it started to make sense. Anna had mysteriously disappeared, the timing was perfect, and how had she gotten to Metropolis after the incident with no memory… she had lied. Sophia wanted to be angry at her, but it was hard to do that when she was so worried about her wellbeing.

"Why would she keep it from me? Why would she never tell me?" Sophia asked, her voice cracking towards the end.

"The same reason you kept your secret from her, to protect her," He said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yes, she knew that this line of work was dangerous from her own personal experience, but after all that happened between her and Anna, she thought she would have at least told her about this. The only reason Sophia hadn't told Anna about her abilities was because she hadn't known when she saw her, and figured it wasn't the type of thing to tell someone over the phone, especially considering the fact that she didn't know who was listening in.

"You said she was safe, do you know where she is?" Sophia asked.

"Yes, but she's not like you remember her… in fact, that's the problem. She can't remember anything since the attack."

"Can you take me to see her?" Sophia asked, taking a step forward, looking at him with pleading eyes. He thought about it for a moment, but judging by the conversation they just had, he knew that she was telling the truth, and that she deserved to see her friend.

"Yes."

* * *

They flew to a remote location on the outskirts of Metropolis city. Sophia followed Superman as they flew there, and she could tell that he was slowing himself down. She was fast, but compared to someone who had been doing it much longer than herself, and someone who had increased speed it made it very hard to match his ability to fly.

The house they were now standing in front of was as pristine as ever. It was painted a lovely off-white, a small wooden fence decorated around the property, to provide a little bit of privacy and security. The garden out front looked like it was loved, as it sprouted different coloured hydrangeas of pinks and blues and purples all round.

Superman opened the front gate for Sophia, allowing her to walk in first. She smiled in thanks before taking a step forward, walking up the small steps of the front yard and knocking on the door. Much to her surprise, Lois Lane answered. Just by seeing this face she knew that Superman was really trusting her.

Lois gave Sophia a smile, pulling her in for a hug. She had met her on her previous trip to Metropolis, albeit at the time she didn't know the whole story, but now that she did, she couldn't even begin to fathom what pain Sophia would be going through in the next minute.

Once Superman had entered the house, they had all moved to the spare bedroom where Anna was staying.

"Sophia," Lois called and Sophia turned around to look at her. "She doesn't remember much, so prepare yourself." Sophia didn't say a word, just nodded in response.

Slowly she turned the handle of the door, entering the bedroom where she spotted Anna sitting on a chair and looking out the window. Her hair was shorter now, and darker than it was before, and as she turned to face Sophia, it was obvious that her eyes were different too. They were darker, they were lost.

Anna didn't say a word as Sophia entered, only stared intently at her face, as though she was trying to remember an old friend… which was ironically what was happening at this very moment.

"Anna, it's me, Soph," Sophia whispered, her eyes focused on Anna's face.

"I suppose that is my name, at least that's what they've told me," Anna mused softly in response. "Anna Walters."

"D-Do you remember me?"

"I'm sorry." Was all she said in response. Anna felt the guilt of not knowing who she was, who anyone was for that matter. It had been this way for at least a month… or was it longer? It was getting harder to remember, and it killed her every day. Like a knife digging repeatedly into a fresh wound.

"Don't- You don't have to apologise," Sophia said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, not trusting her legs to keep her stable throughout this conversation.

"So do you-"

"Remember anything?" Anna cut in with a heavy sigh, shaking her head. "I've been trying, every day I see glimpses, the smallest thing will come to mind, like how I like to eat toast, or that my favourite band was,"

"The arctic monkeys," Sophia finished with a small smile. She remembered the first concert they had ever gone to was a small gig that they had played back in Kansas when they turned 17.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Anna asked, leaning forward, seemingly more interested in what she had to say.

"We're friends, practically family if I'm being honest," Sophia said, looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap. Her fingers were intertwined and she clenched them together, the pain distracting her enough to prevent her from crying. "I promise that I will help you get your memory back, and I promise I'll find out who did this."

Anna didn't say anything else, she just smiled at Sophia with tears in her eyes before turning back to look out the window. Sophia sniffed and got up off the bed, leaving the room, and looking for Superman.

She spotted him in the kitchen, standing and talking to Lois quietly over a cup of coffee. As soon as they noticed her presence they quietened down.

"Thank you, the both of you, for taking care of her," Sophia breathed out.

"Thank Jimmy, he's the one who brought her to us. He's actually following up a lead in Coast City right now," Lois said and Sophia forced herself to give a small smile, even though she was in no such mood.

"Well, it's getting late. Do you have anywhere to stay?" Superman asked.

"No, I can stay at a motel or something," Sophia said, her eyes drawn to the clock that indicated it was just past one in the morning.

"Nonsense, you can stay here," Lois said, and Sophia nodded reluctantly.

"Do you mind if you give us a minute?" Sophia asked Lois, who nodded with a smile, leaving the room.

"Do you have any leads yet?"

"A hunch, but we're working on it. Why don't you rest tonight, and I promise I'll be over in the morning, and I'll give you the full run down on all the details, so we can go over it together," Superman suggested, and she nodded, giving him a grateful smile.

"Thank you, for taking care of her," Sophia said, a few tears pooling in her eyes. She honestly didn't know what she would do if she lost her again.

"You have my word that I will protect her with my life, and that goes for your secret as well," Superman promised. Sophia was grateful for that. Lois was now in on her secret, knowing that she was different just like Anna and Superman, but she trusted that Lois would keep it a secret.

So that's how Sophia found herself spending the night at Lois Lanes house. Once Superman had left, Lois went to check on Anna, finding her sound asleep in the guest room. Lois then brewed a fresh pot of coffee for them both, and they sat on her front porch, enjoying the warm beverage, that soothed Sophia's nerves. Lois informed Sophia of Anna's status, and the news comforted Sophia as she realised that not much of her friend was gone. It was reassuring to hear those words, and to know that the doctors had said that Anna's memory should return within the coming months, on their own accord. They continued to talk for a while, mainly about mundane things, but it set Sophia's mind at ease. She needed that bit of normalcy, and Lois was happy to deliver. It wasn't long til Sophia bid Lois goodnight, moving into the spare guest room that had been set up for her. She stripped her clothes, and changed into the shorts and t-shirt she had stuffed clumsily into her back-pack before climbing into bed, and pulling the covers up as high as she could.

She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to calm herself as she looked around the dark room. She was on edge tonight, and she wished that Barry was here. Even though she had only been gone for a few hours, she missed him, and wished she could have said goodbye before she left. She leaned over the bed, reaching for her phone that was sitting on the floor and charging. Half of her body was flopped off the mattress as her arms reached for the device, stretching out her limbs so she was able to type out a text. She sent one text message before settling down for the night.

She sent the message to Barry.

'I love you.' – Sophia.

It was short and simple, and with three words, she spoke so much. Within seconds she received a response.

'I love you more.' – Barry.

And with that she fell asleep with a smile on her face, and a degree of warmness in her heart that only Barry could bring out in her. It felt like he was right there with her, his warm arms wrapped around her body, and keeping her secure, and loved as she drifted off into a deep slumber.

 **A / N – Disclaimer: I do not own "Downtown" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. *Also there's a disclaimer at the beginning of this story for the whole story in general.**

 **Also funny fact: As I upload this chapter now, we have 137 followers, and there was currently 137,000 words posted for this story… so basically, for every 1,000 words I had written, I gained a follower. Idk, I thought it was cool.**

 **Exciting or what?! So she's finally met Superman, and he seems to know more about what's going on with Anna than anyone else. Next chapter delves into why he's so knowledgeable about all things Anna.**

 **Thanks for all the news favourites and follows. I'm drowning in university work, so seeing the comments and the new follows and favourites, really brightens up my day.**

 **Replies:**

 **Natalie: Hope you enjoyed that Superman was featured in this episode! I know that you've been hanging out for it for a while now. It's a bummer that Anna's memory is gone, otherwise there would have been some amazing bonding going on, but it's all a part of a bigger plan. Excited for you to see what happens next. Thanks for reviewing twice ahaha, it really shows that you're loving this story, and I'm glad that you are. I'm trying to set up a friendship between Sophia and Superman first, I think it'll be funny, because hopefully on TV we'll get to see Barry and Kara have a friendship, and then eventually I'll be able to integrate them all!**

 **Ms'Oleary: Yes! It was about time. After all the danger and craziness that they've been through, I felt it was the right moment to have them say it. I just thought it would be funny to have her say it that way, and then later, realise what she had actually done. Likewise! Shawna did everything for Clay, and he betrayed her the second he had the chance.**

 **PrincessMagic: Everyone's loving the 'I love you' and I have to say that it feels great to finally have the two at that stage in their relationship!**

 **Highlander348: She can't control light, but using her energy barriers, she was able to throw multiple layers, over and over and over again, blocking out the light. But in no way can she become invisible, or cloak herself, even though that would be pretty cool… but as a hint… next chapter we see a new character with a similar trait as to what you've suggested…and things certainly get interesting.**

 **CuteGlasses: That has always been a favourite scene of mine, especially because she is so off key with her singing, but Barry is like so damn perfect. Awww, yeah, it's always the best part of reading a romance, waiting for those special moments!**

 **Purplemonkey36: Same! Their fluff is what makes it fun. Hope that you enjoyed this one too… a little bit of fluff at the beginning. ;)**

 **And again Shadowshunter12 thanks for your super long review! ;) x**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale**


	19. Tag Team: Superman & Sapphire

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Though Sophia was beyond anxious, and her nerves were beginning to singe with worry, she found that she had slept peacefully.

She chocked it up to the fact that Barry's text had put her at ease, allowing her body to slip into a deep slumber, without being thwarted by her fears for her friend's safety. She was glad that she had at least been able to relax for even the short 7 hours she was asleep for, because as soon as her eyes opened, all of those emotions, those feelings, came rushing back like a tidal wave, knocking her down.

She had now found herself sitting out in Lois's backyard, enjoying the calm vibe the green garden gave off. It made her wish that she had one just outside her apartment, but alas, all she had was the small fern sitting on her windowsill that Cisco had gotten her as a birthday present. The fresh scent of mulberries and flowers mixed in the air, travelling toward her like a sea of fragrance. It was relaxing to say the least…and was much better compared to what she had been doing previously.

It was nearing mid-day and she had been waiting anxiously for Superman to arrive all morning. He had informed her last night that he would pop by and fill her in on all the missing details, and she was desperate for clarification. She had paced the hallways of Lois's house, and then the kitchen, and then the living room, so Lois Lane had kicked her out into the backyard, and told her to relax before she got herself ready and left for work that day.

So there she sat, trying to enjoy the peace and quiet, and not fret over when Superman would arrive. A task that was harder than she thought it would be. She wondered what the gang was up to in Central City, and decided to call and see how things were going.

Barry didn't answer his phone, and she figured that meant he was busy or that he forgot his phone in his jeans… yet again, so she left him a message instead, asking him to call her. She stared at the phone in her hand, now bored and anxious yet again, so she threw Cisco a text, asking for updates on anything that was happening.

He messaged back instantly, saying they were dealing with a Ronnie crisis and that would message her soon with the details. She decided to lay down flat on the grass, in a comfortable position, closing her eyes and enjoying the sunshine on her face. It had been a good twenty minutes or so of silence, the only sound she could hear was of birds chirping in the distance, when her moment later, her phone rang, and she answered, a smile appearing on her face when she heard Barry's voice.

"Hey, sweetie." Just hearing his voice calmed her down. _Man, I'm in deep._

"Hey," She greeted with a small smile.

"I miss you," Barry said and Sophia's eyes crinkled with laughter.

"I miss you, too."

"How's Metropolis?" Barry asked, and Sophia sighed, explaining to him in detail what was happening. How Anna had been attacked, how she had the ability to travel through time, how she was somehow working with Superman of all people. Barry nearly yelped in surprise when she made that name drop. All his questions were then directed about the alien, and Sophia laughed, telling him what she knew, but that she would be meeting him later today, hoping to get more details in regards to what was going on with Anna.

It was then Barry's turn to fill Sophia in on the situation with Ronnie. He told her how Ronnie was somehow connected with Dr. Stein, and their attempts to develop a splicer device of some sort to allow the two to form one entity as Firestorm, but then separate as well, without the risks. So far they were struggling, but Barry told her that Caitlin, Cisco and Dr. Wells were working alongside the two with all their energy to solve the problem.

Sophia told Barry to pass on a message to Caitlin, for her to stay strong. She knew that if this didn't work out, then she would have lost Ronnie for the second time. Sophia was slightly disappointed that she couldn't be there to see Ronnie, but she had faith that they would fix things, and eventually she would meet him again, and the new professor he was partners with.

Their call ended there when Barry mentioned that he had to run.

"Be careful," Sophia advised.

"Aren't I always?" Barry asked, causing her to nearly snort when she let out a hearty laugh. "You know what, don't even answer that question. I love you," Barry said, closing his eyes as he pictured her standing in front of him, a bright smile on her face.

"I know," She teased, knowing that he hated when she pulled that line on him.

"Really?!" He blurted out, eyes opening and a smile breaking out onto his face as he shook his head.

"I love you, Barry." She laughed through the phone. "Go save the world."

Sophia hung up, stuffing her phone into the pocket of her jeans, looking up when she heard the rustling of leaves. Superman was a few metres away from her, slowly landing on the soft grass. He was still dressed in his super-suit and she wondered who lay underneath the mask… Well he didn't exactly wear a proper mask, but the suit and single curl of his black hair was distracting enough. Sophia wondered if Anna knew… they seemed to be close... at least from what Sophia could deduce.

"You're late," Sophia said, with a curt tone.

"Sorry, I had a few errands to run this morning," Superman apologised, and she took a closer look to see that he had blood splattered on the side of his arm.

"That's not your blood is it?"

"No, it's not."

She thought he would have elaborated, but he didn't so she just shook her head, letting out a short huff.

"Tell me everything that happened, starting with anything that you know about Anna's disappearance when the Particle Accelerator exploded in Central City," Sophia said, and Superman nodded, motioning for her to stand. She figured that he wanted to walk and talk. She begrudgingly stood up, following him as they moved deeper into the green forest that surrounded the neighbourhood Lois was living in.

"As I told you before, Anna is a time traveller. A man from the future has travelled back here to hunt her down. He's been on this rogue mission for quite some time now. That's why she had to fake her death that night. She knew that the Particle Accelerator was going to explode, and she used it to stage the perfect escape, fake own death, fleeing to Metropolis looking for my help. Apparently we know each other in the future, and I'm supposed to help her," Superman explained a frown appearing on his face, and Sophia listened carefully to each word. He had also mentioned how he had set up some sensors around Anna's apartment after the attack, and that's how he had known she was there. Sophia flushed red in embarrassment as she remembered back to that moment, where she was caught breaking and entering her friend's apartment. Sophia then focused on Superman's words a bit more and she could feel her heart lurching in her chest when she heard that Anna knew that the accelerator was going to explode. "She hadn't told me more than that, fearing that if she had, her words would change the timeline."

"She knew that it was going to explode? Why didn't she warn anyone, or try to stop it? Imagine all the lives she could have saved," Sophia said.

"She couldn't do anything to stop it, if she messed with the timeline, then something worse would have happened in its place. It ate her up for months, having to deal with the responsibility of it all." Sophia looked down, feeling slightly guilty. She knew that Anna was a kind-hearted person, and she wouldn't have taken something like this lightly, but it was hard when Sophia didn't know all the facts.

"Who is hunting her down? Is he the same person responsible for the attacks?"

"She muttered his name in her sleep after the attack. Ellain. I think she knew him personally in the future. He has the same ability as her, able to travel through time. He's working with another person who has powers as well, using her as his weapon. We don't have a name on her, or a gauge on her powers as of yet, just that she was powerful enough to escape," Superman said, his voice steady.

"What did they do to her?" Sophia asked. She wondered what could have happened that caused her to lose her memory like that. It would have had to be quite horrendous and traumatic to have caused part of her brain functions to shut down.

"It was a cowardly attack. She was sleeping in the middle of the night, and they stormed her apartment. I-," Superman stopped in his sentence, feeling the anger bubble up inside him as he spoke of it. Anna was his _friend_ …and to see that happen to her, made him absolutely sick to his stomach. "It was brutal. She was bleeding from various head injuries. She needed nearly eighteen stiches on the right side of her skull. That's why her hair is so short. It had to be shaved…" Superman trailed off. He remembered the night clearly. How hopeless he felt when he saw her, laying there in a pool of her own blood. He clenched his jaw, shaking the memory from his thoughts and focusing back on the conversation.

"But if he's travelled from the future, does that mean that this version of Anna knew him, or a future version of her? I grew up with Anna, I think I would know if she disappeared into the future or past considering she would have gone missing for the time she lived there," Sophia mused. Time travel was confusing, and she never wanted to deal with it again after this. The notion of it all scared her. Knowing the future, having the power to change it… what if something went wrong?

"Time is ever-changing, it's flexible, and it's not what it seems. She lived in the future for months before travelling back to the exact date and time she left, making it seem as though she hadn't been gone at all," Superman said with a deep sigh. "But after what's happened now, I'm not sure what it could have possibly changed."

"That's so confusing, it's like we're stuck in an episode of Doctor Who," Sophia mumbled under her breath, and she heard Superman chuckle, and then realised that he must have heard her with his sensitive hearing.

"So how can we help her? Lois said that the doctors think her memory should be back in a few months."

"At the moment, I'm just trying to keep her safe, and let her heal. I have people working on who attacked her. These people aren't just after her, they're after my friends as well, so I promise you that I'm doing everything in my power to end it."

"I trust you," She said and he nodded, giving her a smile before continuing, "But, I think I can help."

* * *

After Superman agreed to accept Sophia's help- which she made the point of adamantly pushing that she would do it with or without his- he had taken her back to what would be described as his cortex, or Arrow cave. It was a hideout in what he described as a Watchtower in the middle of metropolis city. Inside it looked similar to that of their own, with plenty of computers set up and all sorts of fancy machinery and medical equipment. She noted that the only difference was that it was much darker, with less lighting.

She was excited to say the least, but disappointed when she saw that it was just him running this joint. She asked if he had always worked alone, but received a curt response and stiff shoulders in return. She figured that it was a sore subject for him, and decided to leave it alone.

Superman had pointed out that he had found a particulate, some sort of organic residue left in Anna's apartment after the attack, but he was unable to identify which part of town it came from. Sophia smirked when he told her this, and told him she could take care of it. She had learnt a thing or two from her boyfriend being a CSI for the CCPD, and her own scientific knowledge from her university degrees. Though it took her longer than it would have taken Barry, she had managed to isolate a particular isotope from the sample, and had run a search through a program that Felicity had installed on her computer. When it came up with a positive result, she was elated that it had worked.

There was only one place in Metropolis that this could have come from. It was an old distilling factory on the outskirts of Metropolis's manufacturing giant's old warehouses from the 90s. Once Sophia had narrowed it down to a specific location, she was geared up and ready to go, Superman leading the way to the location. They were eager to see if this lead was correct, wanting to end this once and for all.

As they approached the abandoned warehouse at this time of the night, the sun had just started to set, the leftover light encompassed by darkness as the night approached. There was an eerie feeling that travelled down Sophia's spine as they stepped foot outside the building. Superman looked to her silently, giving the slightest nod, indicating that they were to go inside.

Stealthily they moved into the compound that seemed to be mostly empty, spare a few old pieces of machinery and rusted barrels of metal laying around, sprawled across the floor. They walked side by side, their eyes on guard as they inspected the area. There wasn't any sign of anyone hiding out here, as far as Sophia could see, and she was just about to turn around and voice her thoughts to Superman when she caught a glint of silver in the corner of her eye. Her movements were sharp and quick as she whipped around, her eyes glowing and her hand outstretched, throwing a bubble of energy over the intruder. Her actions drew Superman's attention who had been on the other side of the compound, now hovering over to her as they watched the inspected their suspect.

"You must be Ellain," Sophia spoke, her voice harsher than her usual tone.

"You know my name, yet I do not know yours," Ellain inclined his head slightly, looking at her through his dark lashes as he inspected the shield he was being contained in. "Therefore, I must conclude that you know my sweet Anna."

At his words, Sophia was sent into an angry rage, and Superman's jaw was clenched, and his hands curled into fists. Superman's expression remained stoic as he watched Ellain with calculated eyes, and Sophia was the one to react.

"She's not yours, never has, and never will be," Sophia spat, her harsh glare burning a hole through his gaze.

"That is true, that is why I am here after all. If she won't be mine, then she shan't be at all," Ellain sneered, a smirk playing on his lips as he straightened up, as though he had an epiphany.

It was a moment later that multiple gun shots rang out in the air. Sophia ducked on instinct, dropping to the ground. Superman groaned, his knees buckling as he fell to the ground. Sophia held up one hand, controlling the shield that held Ellain, and turning her head to see that Superman had been shot and multiple times at that. Her eyes widened in shock and fear at this. _I thought he was bulletproof._

"What's happening to you?"

"Kryptonite," Superman managed to croak out as he lay on the ground, pressing his hand to his abdomen, trying to keep pressure on the wound. Before she could do anything else, Ellain had teleported himself out of the bubble and was now standing on the opposite side of the room. Sophia's harsh gaze moved to meet his own and she felt the heavy pit of anxiety in her gut as she realised that he was in control the whole time. The minute they stepped into the complex they walked into a trap. He knew Superman's weakness, and he knew that his power was enough for him to escape any hold she could have over him.

"It was lovely to meet you Sapphire, Superman, but I must be on my way. Please, enjoy your stay with Amara, she's been dying for company," Ellain said, before giving a small wave, and disappearing into thin air.

Sophia began to panic, as she turned around, looking for this person that Ellain spoke of, most likely his accomplice that had attacked Anna, but she couldn't see anyone.

Then it hit her.

Or more correctly, _she_ hit her.

Amara shimmered into thin air, her body appearing out of nowhere. She seemed to have turned invisible earlier, catching them off guard. She had two guns strapped to the side of her hips, and fingerless leather gloves on her hands that felt rough as they connected with Sophia's jaw.

Amara cocked her head to the side, a sly smirk on her face as she watched Sapphire crash to the ground, groaning from the hit. Sophia looked up at her through hooded eyelids, her eyes morphing into an even darker blue than they had ever been before. It was like her body knew that she had to be stronger and faster to take on this enemy.

Sophia got back up with ease, and narrowed her eyes at Amara calculatingly. Amara tilted her head mockingly as though she could sense Sophia's thoughts. Amara's body shimmered, disappearing from sight before re-appearing behind her seconds later. Sophia created a ball of energy in her hand, electricity crackling as it grew bigger and bigger, and she threw it at Amara, who annoyingly dodged the hit, flipping over, and landing on the opposite side. She noted that other than the occasional grunt or groaning, Amara hadn't spoken a word.

Amara then whipped out her guns, the barrel of the gun effortlessly aimed at Sophia's head. She easily blocked the bullets with her shield, stopping them mid-air before they could do any real damage. Amara had managed to unload her whole gun, and threw the empty weapon to the side now that it was worthless to her. Sophia then decided to go for another approach, running at her straight on, and fighting her with her fists. With all her strength she lunged forward, her clenched fists pummelling Amara to the ground as they made contact with her stomach. Sophia hadn't realised that her hand had been crackling with her power and with one swoop Amara was sprawled on the concrete.

This seemed to have caught Amara off guard, who narrowed her eyes at Sophia, clearly underestimating her power. Amara did a backflip, landing with both feet planted solid on the ground. She shifted using her invisibility as she tried a new approach. Amara circled Sophia who turned around with careful ears as she tried to listen for any sign of where she could be hiding. Amara threw her leg out, sending a powerful kick to the back of Sophia's knee, sending her to the ground, the sound of a sickening crunch echoing throughout the air. Sophia yelped in pain, she knew that her knee wasn't broken, but it hurt like crazy. This chick had some serious power, and Sophia was beginning to feel it. Sophia was quick on her feet, and hovered herself, finding that easier than standing in the current moment.

Sophia's brain was wracked with thoughts and ideas of what she could do next. She had always had the team guiding her, or she was working with Barry who also provided ideas and leadership when they worked together. Now she was on her own, and she needed to hurry considering that Superman had passed out from the kryptonite. She feared that if she was any longer that he would die, especially considering she had no knowledge of its full power and what it did to him.

Amara was still hidden and the answer clicked in Sophia's brain. She knew what might work. She closed her eyes and focused on the energy flowing through her veins, her bones, her heart, and her lungs. It was everywhere. She focused on the feeling, the pull she had and that's when it started. The energy formed around her like a beacon- well it looked more like a hoola-hoop if she was being honest- and it grew, larger and wider in size. Her eyelids flew wide open, eyes glowing and all. She released her hands, and the energy went sprawled in all directions, hitting everything in sight. Empty cans and machinery went flying in the air, and crashing to the ground, and it wasn't even a few seconds later until Amara was the same. The energy forced her back into view, sending an excruciating pain sizzling throughout her body. She dropped to the ground, dry heaving as she tried to shake it off.

Sophia flew over, ready to apprehend her when Amara pressed something on her arm, and she teleported out of there. Sophia growled out loud, frustrated that she had slipped through her grasp. She didn't have time to be angry about it for long before she ran over to Superman. She ran towards Superman, wrapping her hands around his bicep and pulled him up into a sitting position. He looked pale, and she could see that his wounds were worse than before. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and an expression filled with pain was splayed across his face. His state of consciousness was hazy as he moved in and out of a state of awareness.

"Hey, it's over now, let's get you out of here," She said, and he nodded weakly, and she created a bubble around him, figuring that she would have to fly him out of there and to the Watchtower, otherwise he wouldn't make it. She flew as fast as she could, praying that he would hang on.

She crash landed in the Watchtower, levitating him and slowly placing him on an empty table in the room. As soon as she got there, she grabbed a pair of scissors, bandages, and anything else that she could find that would be helpful. She hadn't actually taken a bullet out of someone before. That sort of thing was left to the doctors. She was thankful that her skills did include knowing how to bandage, and clean wounds, so at least this wouldn't be too hard. She figured that Superman had some sort of healing like Barry, so once she got the kryptonite bullets out, there wouldn't be much left for her to do.

Hastily she dropped the equipment down next to him, pulling off her mask, allowing her to see things clearer. She cut through the material of the top half of his suit, praying that he would have a spare, and not be upset that she had torn into his. With gloved hands she picked up the only metal tongs she could find in here, and carefully dug into the bullet wound, extracting the bullets and murmuring comforting words as he groaned on the metal table in pain as she dug around inside his body. After counting five that had been embedded into his body, she picked up the tray, taking the bloody bullets, and discarding of them as far away as possible, the green rocks diminishing in their colour the farther away they were from Superman. She flew back in a flash, cleaning the wounds as best as she could, stitching them up to start the healing process and bandaging them, hoping he would be on the way to healing. She noted that his temperature had gone down considerably from the high fever he was running before, and that was a sign that he was getting better. Colour had returned to his cheeks and his breathing had normalised and his heart rate was dropping from the high it had reached. She fetched a damp cloth, and slowly dabbed his forehead, wiping away the sweat and blood that had taken up refuge on his face.

With a tired sigh Sophia collapsed on a chair that was beside the table. Today was exhausting to say the least, and she wondered what would happen next. They lost their culprits, but they knew who they were now which was a plus. But they had no idea where they were, or what they planned to do next. She just figured she would have to wait for Superman to wake up and see what would happen from there. She pulled out her phone from her bag that was sitting next to the computers, and was surprised to see a super long text from Barry. Apparently Professor Stein had been kidnapped, and with the help of his bond with Ronnie, they had managed to locate him. It sounded like they had a lot on their plate now, and she felt bad that she wasn't there to help, but Barry reassured her that they would be alright. She had only been gone for a few days and she missed them dearly.

She just hoped that it would all be over soon and she could go back home.

* * *

It was a few hours later that Superman woke up. He blinked his eyes open blearily, letting out a deep sigh as he recognised the room he was in. He relaxed slightly, relieved that he was in the safety of the Watchtower. He didn't remember much of the trip back only that Sophia had saved them both. Though there was the relief that they had made it out, the worry overshadowed it at this moment. Ellain and Amara knew about his weakness. They knew that the kryptonite would kill him, and they used it without a second thought.

If they were from the future, it could mean that they knew a lot more than just his weakness, and that scared him more than anything. If they knew that his identity was Clark Kent, they could go after his mother, his friends, his workmates. The thought of anything happening was enough to fuel his anger, and his determination to hunt them down, and bring them to justice. He turned his head, to see Sophia sitting in a chair, her gaze down, as she fiddled with the necklace resting on her chest.

She had changed out of her suit and into something more comfortable, and that wasn't covered in blood. Her hair was tied in a low pony tail, and her face fresh from being washed. She had been sitting by his side and waiting for him to wake up. She wondered how long it would take, and when she looked up she was surprised to see his eyes on her. She gave him a small smile, trying to mask the curiosity that plagued her.

"Hey," She said, getting up and waking towards him, placing her hand under his arm as she aided him into a sitting position. She grabbed a manual sphygmomanometer and placed the cuff around his upper arm, strapping it on as tight as she could, and started to take his blood pressure. As she did this she spoke to him, one hand pumping the cuff, the other with her fingers around his wrist feeling for his pulse, and the stethoscope in her ears, listening for the thumping sound of his blood. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, my body is healing well, now that the kryptonite was removed," Superman said as he looked down at his abdomen with his x-ray vision. All of the surrounding tissue and wounds were on their way to healing, and would be completely healed within a few hours.

"That's good to know," Sophia sighed in relief. She was worried that it would have had a worse effect on him.

"Blood pressure is 95 over 65. A bit low, but considering what you just went through it makes sense," Sophia informed, and he nodded.

"Has this ever happened before?"

"On a few occasions."

"How long til you're back to normal?"

"I should be fine by tomorrow," He said, before standing up, content with the fact that he hadn't fallen over yet. "I'm going to change into something, and then we can go over what went down today."

"Sure thing."

Once he had arrived back, changed into something other than his torn and bloodied suit, Sophia was surprised with what had come out of his mouth.

"You saved my life today, thank you. I think it's time I introduced myself," Superman said, and his words caught Sophia off guard. She just nodded mutely, with wide eyes, as he stuck his hand out in front of her. "My name is Clark, Clark Kent."

"D-didn't expect that," Sophia admitted, her brow furrowed as she thought about this revelation. "I'm glad you trust me."

"It's a two way street," Clark said.

"Thank you for trusting me with your secret."

"Thank you for saving my life," He threw back at her with a small smile.

"So that's how you knew Anna? She spoke about you before." But Sophia didn't mention the fact that it was because Anna had declared her feelings for the man standing in front of her.

"I met her as Superman first. She didn't know I was Clark Kent until a few months ago." Sophia nodded as Clark explained what happened. He motioned for them to move to the balcony of the Watchtower, and she followed in suit as he spoke about the first time he met Anna.

"So what are we going to do about Ellain and Amara? They got away, and we have no way of tracking them down," Sophia asked, a frown painted across her face.

"I have a friend who can help me on that front. Your welcome to stay, or you can go back home. But I promise that I'll keep you updated on the situation."

"I feel guilty wanting to go back home," Sophia admitted to Clark. She wanted nothing more than to stay and see this through til the end, but with all the craziness back home, and the Reverse Flash still on the loose, she knew that Barry and the team would need all the help they could get. That, and she missed them.

"Don't feel guilty. You've helped so much already, I can handle things from here if you want to leave," Clark reassured her, and she gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

"Promise me that you'll take care of her."

"I will."

And she knew that Anna, couldn't be in better hands.

 **A / N: NEARLY 100 REVIEWS, SAY WHAAAAAAAAAT?**

 **Thank you for all the new follows and favourites. It really puts a smile on my face to see that everyone is enjoying the fun.**

 **Uni life is an absolute killer right now, so I'm doing my best to keep to my weekly updates, but once exams come around the corner, I might disappear for a little bit… but I hope I don't, I hate being that sort of person.**

 **Also, I edited this really late, so if there are any mistakes in this chapter, please let me know via review or pm, so I can fix it up. Thanks!**

 **Replies:**

 **Sad Rad fish: Okay, first things first. Your UN is like the friggen it's amazing. I love it. Also, thank you, I'm glad that my writing hasn't bored you to death. ;) Hope this twist was appreciated. It's hard to think of what do to, when I want to add my own stuff, but then also include the main plot line of the TV show. It's turned out well so far, hope it continues that way. :D**

 **Highlander348: I know it would have been cool, but did you like the new villain that could turn invisible?! Not much of Anna, I know, but she'll be appearing again, hopefully next time, with her memories. ;) Hope the action in here was enough for you. I'll try and make a fight scene with Superman vs. Sapphire in the future, but we all know that she wouldn't be able to hold up forever against the Man of Steel… only maybe if she trapped him in a bubble, though it would be hard to keep him there for a while. Aww, wouldn't that be adorable! I don't have a proposal in mind for the end of the season, but for during season 2, for sure. I'm starting to plan what I want to do for season 2, but with all my crazy work and uni life, I'm not sure if I'll have that ready any time soon… but yeah, just want to get season one pumped out.**

 **Turtlekier42: Glad that you liked it! I thought it would be a nice twist to introduce Superman. Now we all know why he and Anna are friends, and how they know each other. She knows him from the future, and she came to get his help… In my head I imagine a little bit of romance between the two, but I don't think I'll be showcasing any of that in this story… well as of yet.**

 **P.s to Ms. O'Leary: I haven't seen your review yet, so I'm assuming that you didn't get a chance to read chapter 18, so I hope you have a nice surprise reading both part 1 and 2 of that 'episode'. Hope you enjoy it, looking forward to hearing from you.**

 **Thanks again guys.**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	20. Out of Time

CHAPTER TWENTY

The morgue was cold, not an unusual symptom of the building that housed the dead before they were sent off to their graves, but the M.E. noticed that there was an uncanny chill hidden in the air. He ignored the peculiar feeling he was experiencing, and moved on to complete his work for the day, desperate to finish up, and return to the warmth of his home. He turned on an extra light in the darkened room, the bulb illuminating his work area. He got to work immediately, slipping on his surgical gloves, ready to examine the body in front of him that was laid out on the metal slab. He was performing the autopsy single-handedly, as they were short on staff, and he was desperate to finish up and leave for the night.

Before he did anything he pulled out his portable recorder, and pressed the red button, and started to speak.

"Central City's Coroner report, file 28527." He placed the tape recorder in the top pocket of his white lab coat, and got to work, first examining the lips. He lightly touched the lips of the dead body with his gloved hands, noting the colour, and describing how it appeared visually out loud, as well as adding his own diagnosis.

"Petechial haemorrhaging in the mucosa of the lips and the interior of the mouth, the strong odour of bleach, and the presence of a post-mortem ligature mark all suggest the decedent's manner of death, is Homicide," he concluded with a tone of finality.

It was a moment later that he heard the door creak open, and he frowned in confusion, wondering who that could be. He turned around, with his scalpel in hand, frankly annoyed as he was just about to begin cutting the chest cavity open. As he turned around he saw a man, dressed in dark clothes. He recognised his face to be the criminal Mark Mardon, related to Clyde Mardon. The resemblance was one that he noticed immediately, and he knew that he had to be cautious with this situation in order to survive. He was sure that Mark had died in the plane crash a little over a year ago, when the particle accelerator exploded… clearly they had been wrong in their assumptions.

"Can I help you?" The coroner inquired carefully, hoping that this situation wouldn't end badly.

"Yes, you can. I want to know who killed Clyde Mardon," Mark said, walking closer, each step he took taunting and terrifying the man before him. "He was shot by a cop a little over six months ago, and I want his name."

"That's privileged information. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," He said, trying to keep his tone strong, and free of fear.

"Shame," Mark said, a smirk growing on his lips as he moved forward, freely displaying his new abilities. He was enjoying every second, and he knew that he would get the name of the cop who had killed his brother.

"Ooh! Please," He pleaded, moving backward in fear.

"Cop's name," Mark said, the ball of ice growing larger and larger in his hand, "Now." He had no problem with hurting the M.E. and he was sure that when this was over, and he had the name he wanted, he would kill him anyway… not wanting to leave any loose ends.

"I perform hundreds of autopsies a year," The coroner said, his voice trembling. If he was being honest, he could barely remember who had brought him in, never mind who had been the one to pull the trigger on Clyde Mardon all that time ago. Sometimes even as the MO that information was confidential and only provided on a need to know basis.

"Perhaps this will jog your memory," Mark sneered, a smirk painted on his lips as he moved to attack the Coroner, enjoying the new thrills that accompanied his new and improved lifestyle.

* * *

"So, I was thinking, that since you've only been back for a day, that we ditch this double date, and spend the night at your place," Barry suggested, a sly smirk on his face as he grabbed Sophia by her waist, and pulled her close to him, his touch spreading like a wildfire against her skin. She laughed in response, throwing her arms around his neck, but keeping a little bit of space between the two so she could see his face. She glanced up into his green eyes, noting that they were slightly darker than usual, and that if his eyes were the last thing she ever saw, it wouldn't be a bad way to go. There was something about Barry Allen's eyes that just felt like home.

And she was so glad to be home.

Yes, she wanted to help Anna as much as she could, but she realised that Superman had it under control, and she needed to do her best to help her team. She had spent the rest of that day in Metropolis trying to reconnect with Anna, and cheer her up. She could tell that not having her memories had her down in the dumps, and she hated to see her like that. But as the sunset loomed, she bid her goodbyes to Anna, Clark and Lois, making sure to thank the latter one time more for taking care of Anna, promising that she would be back soon to talk more. Sophia was eager to discover the true nature of Anna's powers, and how she had managed to make enemies with a man from the future, hoping that once Anna's memories returned, she would be given an explanation.

When Sophia had arrived back, Caitlin had given her the full details of what had transpired and she felt guilty for not being there for them, especially her. Caitlin had gotten Ronnie back, and just as soon had to let him go. So she had spent a few hours with Caitlin, talking through the tough time and trying to support her friend as best as she possibly could.

As soon as she had arrived back, she had told Barry what had happened. He was both excited and nervous for her at the same time. He was worried once he heard what had gone down that day, but glad that she was home and safe. When she didn't give more details on Superman, he stayed quiet, respecting the fact that she had to keep it a secret, after all, he didn't tell her about Oliver… that was Felicity. He was surprised to hear of the Meta humans that had attacked them in Metropolis. It was certainly something different considering that their team themselves had never encountered someone who could travel through time, let alone wield the powers of invisibility.

"Mmm… sounds tempting, but if we go back to my place, I fear we'll never leave," She teased, but when she saw Barry's eyes darken, there was a fire that ignited in her heart, one that she welcomed as she watched his expression. She had ached for him desperately over the last few days, and she never knew that she would feel so passionate about being apart from him for so long.

"Never?" Barry mused with a teasing glint in his eyes, as they flickered down to her lips, and then up again. "I think I could work with that."

"If that's the case, then you get to call Iris and cancel. She was very excited about bowling tonight, and I fear that if I call, I won't be able to say no," Sophia said, and he chuckled at her ways. She knew that Iris would be upset if they cancelled, but frankly, they could reschedule. Barry was all up for their new plans, he just wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend. Occasion's like this rarely came, and when they did, he wanted to grasp at it and never let go.

"On one condition," Barry said, licking his bottom lip. If he was going to be the one to have to call Iris, and face her wrath by cancelling on their pre-planned double date, then he was going to get something in return.

"And what might that be?" Sophia asked, a light twinkle in her eyes.

"You kiss me, and not just a small peck, a real kiss, like you mean it."

"Don't I always?"

"Just kiss m-," Barry didn't get to finish his sentence before her lips were on his. They burned to the touch- in a good way- sending electric sparks, tingling through his lips and all the way to his feet. It was the kind of kiss that took your breath away, the kind that made your heart pump faster, beating away like a drum. The pressure of her lips grew with each second as she pulled him closer, tangling her fingers through his hair with a bruising pressure that was almost painful, but pleasurable at the same time. In the past, she hadn't been one to express such passion so eagerly, but ever since she started dating Barry, it was like she couldn't control herself. One hand remained at the back of his head, fingers threaded through his hair, while the other came down to rest on his chest, feeling the thump of his heart under her fingertips. Barry couldn't help but let out a moan when she nipped at his lower lip, and he grasped her hips in response, pulling her closer, if that was even possible in their current situation. When they reluctantly moved apart, breaking for air after a breathless embrace, Sophia's smile grew wider and wider with each second, feeling a sense of pride at the fact that she had rendered The Flash speechless, and blushing a darker red than she had ever seen before.

"Was that meaningful enough?" She asked, her lips slanting over his swollen ones with another fiery kiss, unable to get enough.

"I-I'll just go cancel," Barry stuttered out in between and she released her grip on him, winking as he moved across the room in the Star Labs kitchen to call Iris before whisking her away in his arms and back to her apartment where they spent the night enjoying each other's company… well that's what she imagined would have happened. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

They had gotten back to her apartment, and when things were just starting to get interesting, Barry's phone went off. There was an emergency at the morgue, someone had broken in, and all the talk of dead bodies, had started to ruin the mood, and so even though Barry's bare chest was a sight that she always loved to see, she had begrudgingly let him go, figuring that it had to be something serious if Joe was calling him at this time at night.

He placed a doting kiss on her forehead, and then one on her cheek, and then one final lasting kiss on her lips, causing her to giggle as he zoomed out of there, and down to the morgue, leaving a lonely Sophia in her apartment, who slowly drifted into a deep slumber, a smile painted delicately on her lips as she slept, thinking how she was the luckiest girl the world to have been loved by Barry Allen.

* * *

The following morning, Sophia felt well rested, and was situated in her wheelie seat at Star labs, along with the rest of the tea, who had gathered for the impromptu meeting that Barry had called. Barry and Joe had arrived this morning with news that most were surprised to hear. Mark Mardon, the brother of the now deceased Clyde Mardon was back in town, and on the hunt for revenge… which happened to be in the form of Joe's head. Joe informed them of how Mardon broke into the morgue as he gathered information on the death of his brother. Turns out that the Coroner that was killed wasn't just killed. He was brutally murdered, and by a Meta… who was of course the second Mardon brother.

"So Clyde Mardon has a brother?" Sophia asked, scratching the back of her head. Just when she thought things were beginning to relax, something else had to be thrown at them. She had remembered the first time she had ever heard of the Mardon brothers, that fateful day that she had been acquainted with Barry Allen as The Flash. She remembered the first trial that led to Barry being where he stood today, and in turn, where she stood. Things could have gone a lot differently, and it was scary to think that it was one simple event, one simple choice that could have changed it all. Time was truly a fascinating thing, and she was slowly beginning to realise its true power over the universe.

"And both brothers survived the plane crash, and then the dark matter released from the particle accelerator explosion affects them both in virtually the same way," Caitlin finished, a frown settled on her face.

"Yeah, only Mark's powers seem to be a lot more precise."

"To be able to control the weather like that, indoors…" Joe began shaking his head, and Cisco finished.

"You'd have to be a Weather Wizard. Ooh, been waiting since week one to use that one," Cisco exclaimed gleefully, taking a generous sip of the frozen drink on his desk, only to get a brain freeze in return. "Mmm," Cisco groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut, making a distasteful expression as he shook his head.

"Trigeminal headache," Caitlin said causing Sophia to laugh.

"What?" Joe asked, having no clue as to what they were talking about.

"Trigeminal headache," Caitlin repeated, and Sophia shook her head.

"He heard, he just doesn't know what it means. It's just a fancy way of saying brain freeze," Sophia clarified and Joe nodded, pursing his lips.

"They why don't you just call it a brain freeze?" Joe asked, and Caitlin rolled her eyes.

"So, I'm guessing you running around a twister in the opposite direction isn't going to do the trick this time."

"I just remembered. During our run-in with Mardon, Clyde Mardon," Cisco clarified, "I was tinkering with something to help attract unbound atmospheric electrons."

"Like a grounding mechanism?" Barry inquired, and Cisco nodded, pulling up the schematics for the weapon like wand he was in the process of creating.

"Yes, cause the only way that Mardon can control the weather is if he can tap into the atmosphere's natural electrical circuit, and if we take away that circuit, clear skies," Cisco finished explaining even though he was interrupted with the buzzing of Joe's phone.

"Singh's checking in, I gotta go," Joe said, and Barry nodded.

"Yeah, I'll meet you at the station," Barry said, and when he recognised that familiar look on Joe's face, he placed his hand on his shoulder, and squeezed lightly, trying to comfort him in any way he could. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried at all," Joe denied, before leaving the room.

"Well, he's taking being targeted by a revenge-seeking meta-human rather well, I must say," Cisco said sarcastically and Sophia whacked him on the arm, causing him to pout in response.

"I was just trying to diffuse the tension," He grumbled and Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Barry. We'll get to the bottom of this in no time," Sophia tried to reassure him with a crooked smile.

"Joe will be fine, I promise," Dr. Wells said and Barry nodded.

"Yeah, no, I know," Barry said, pausing, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else." Barry's words caught everyone's attention and they listened carefully.

"Mm-hmm," Dr. Wells hummed, encouraging Barry to continue.

"Last night, on my way to the morgue, I saw something."

"What did you see?" Dr. Wells questioned, leaning forward in his chair in anticipation.

"I was running, and I turned and I saw myself… Or I don't know, another Flash running beside me," Barry tried to explain what he saw, but it was hard when he wasn't even sure himself.

"Well that's certainly interesting," Sophia mused.

"Yeah. What do you think it was?" Barry asked.

"Could it be an optical illusion, a mirroring effect caused by wind shear and light, a speed mirage, if you will," Dr. Wells offered up his thoughts.

"It didn't seem like that… it was- he seemed real."

"I tell you what. Let's focus on finding Mardon, and once he's safely contained in the Pipeline, we'll investigate this," Dr. Wells suggested, and Barry nodded, feeling slightly better than he did before.

"Sure."

Everyone then moved out, each person having their own tasks in regards to locating Mardon. Sophia figured she would do a little reconnaissance herself, taking a small flight out later to search from above for any sign of Mardon in the most possible areas he could be hiding out in. But she decided that she would have a quick chat with Barry before he left for the precinct.

"Barry," She called and he turned around, moving towards her.

"I know it's an impossible request, but try not to worry too much. We'll figure this out," Sophia said softly, placing her hand in his.

"I know, I'm trying not to, but Mardon's smart, and I'm worried that someone will get hurt."

"Joe will be fine. Tell you what, if you're not with him, I'll stay by his side. Best body guard in the business," Sophia said, flexing her arm in her black leather jacket, a grin erupting onto her face as she watched Barry's expression soften from the frown it had seemed to be frozen in.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Barry confessed, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Let's hope you never have to find out," She jested, not realising how much meaning her words held, placing a firm kiss on his lips before they went their separate ways.

* * *

Cisco was tasked with completing his little creation as fast as possible, in case they needed it in the fight against Mardon. Caitlin was monitoring Central City's weather patterns, keeping an eye out for any infrequent readings. Sophia wasn't sure what Dr. Wells was up too, but she paid little attention to that, and focused on her task.

She co-ordinated with Joe who sent her some possible locations where Mardon could be hiding out, and she suited up, flying high and checking out the area from above. She noted that there wasn't anything that looked suspicious, and even though Barry said not to go down and inside the areas, she figured it couldn't do much harm. So she landed, and quickly surveyed the area, finding that it was just abandoned and old rusty rooms across the areas, and no Mardon in sight. When she reported this back to Joe, she made him promise not to tell Barry, not wanting him to worry further.

Sophia was about to head back to the CCPD to check on Joe when she received a call from Iris. She clicked the button on the Bluetooth device in her ear, accepting the call.

"Hey Iris," Sophia greeted as she continued to fly, just at a slower pace as to keep up with the conversation at the same time.

"Hey, Soph. What's with the turbulence?" Iris questioned, and Sophia's eyes flew wide open. She didn't realise that her soaring through the sky was that loud.

"W-What?" She stammered out nervously.

"It's really windy, hard to hear you," Iris said.

"Oh, I'm just standing on my balcony. I'll go inside." She stopped flying, and instead floated in mid-air. She was high up enough that no one could see her, hidden in the clouds. "Better?" She asked.

"Yes. Listen, I have a hunch, and I was just wondering if you could help me out," Iris chose her words carefully. She had already spoken to Barry about this topic this morning, and he had shut her down. She wondered if she could get any information out of Sophia, so she was careful not to mention that she had already asked Barry.

"Sure, what can I do to help?"

"It's about Harrison Wells," Iris started off, her words peaking Sophia's interest in an instant.

"What about him?"

"Well, I mean, a lot of strange things have been happening in Central City this past year. The Flash, Sapphire, The Burning Man… people going missing." The last part of Iris's sentence took Sophia by surprise.

"Missing? Who is missing?" Sophia asked. She hadn't heard anything in the papers or even from the team about missing person cases.

"Simon Stagg, that's who," Iris pointed out.

"I thought he was a recluse," Sophia said pursing her lips in thought. Iris gave a strained laugh, she had heard that not once, but twice that day, and she was beginning to think that everyone around was either dumb or blind.

"He was there, at Stagg's office, the night that Stagg went missing," Iris explained and her words sent chills down Sophia's spine. That was too much of a coincidence. The night that they had stopped Multiplex, she had bid Harrison goodbye, and he announced that he too was retiring to his house for the night. Why had he gone to Stagg's office, and why was he the last person to see him?

"Do you think he's responsible?"

"I mean, I don't really know him, but you and Barry and your friends do."

"Thanks for the call Iris. I'll look into it for you, but… don't tell Barry," Sophia said. She was sure that if Barry found out that he wouldn't be happy. He believed that Wells was a good person, he looked up to him. Sophia thought the same, but there was something about him that wasn't sitting right with her. She was sure that Wells was hiding something. Whether it was this or something else, she wanted to find out, and before it was too late.

"Yeah," Iris breathed out, surprised that Sophia agreed with her. After being shut down by multiple people, she finally found someone who believed in her theory. "I won't. Thank you so much. It really means a lot."

"No worries. I've gotta fly, I'll call you." Little did Iris know that Sophia had meant that in literal terms. She changed her direction of travel back on route to Star Labs, eager to investigate.

* * *

By the time she had arrived at Star Labs, the only person in the cortex was Cisco.

He told her that she had just missed Barry by a few minutes. Cisco then went on to show her the Wizard Wand -as he had dubbed it- that he created for them to use against Mardon. Sophia was definitely impressed with the new creation, and she commended Cisco on his great work. He then agreed, and started going off on a rant about how amazing and magnificent he was, which just caused her to retract her previous statement and roll her eyes at his now inflated ego.

"Is anyone else here?"

"Nope, just us. Caitlin and Dr. Wells went somewhere to check something out about Mardon… didn't really listen to what they were saying since I was too busy building the wand," Cisco said, and he then noticed Sophia's expression, and the way she had leant forward slightly, and the secrecy in her voice. This caused him to lean forward and whisper. "Why?"

"Something weird happened, Iris called and she said that there's something suspicious going on with Dr. Wells."

"Oh, not this hoopla again," Cisco sighed, running a hand through his long hair.

"What hoopla? Who else was talking about this?" Sophia asked urgently.

"Hey, relax, it was just Barry. He said the same thing, something about Simon Stagg going missing and what not…"

"That's exactly what she told me… she must have called Barry too… Do you think it's true?"

"A few weeks back, Joe did mention something about how he thought Dr. Wells might have something to do with Barry's mother's murder," Cisco said.

"What?!" Sophia exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Yeah, he didn't want to say anything, not until he had any sort of hard evidence."

"I need to talk to Joe," Sophia said standing up and moving to leave the room when Cisco grabbed onto her wrist causing her to turn around. "Be careful. I'm not so sure that I trust Dr. Wells completely anymore… there are too many coincidences, too many things that aren't adding up." His words did little to comfort Sophia but she nodded solemnly, getting ready to leave for the CCPD, taking the Wizard Wand with her to give to Joe.

* * *

The CCPD was a crowded mess.

The building was bustling with people, phones ringing off the hook and the occasional shout from Captain Singh ordering things to be done. Mardon was the number one priority on their list right now. Every Detective, every run of the mill Cop in Central City was on the lookout for Mark Mardon.

It took Sophia a while to locate Joe's desk and even then she didn't find him at it. She decided to take a seat in his chair and wait for him. She had promised Barry that she would keep a close eye on Joe, and she was trying her best to live up to that promise. It was just a bit hard when her thoughts were elsewhere. She couldn't imagine that Dr. Wells had something to do with Barry's mother's death which happened over fifteen years ago. What would that mean if he was involved? Did that mean that Dr. Wells was The Man in Yellow aka the Reverse Flash? But how? How could he be him? How could be so evil, so vile? Plus, the Reverse Flash attacked Dr. Wells on Christmas… it just didn't add up.

She was brought out of her dark thoughts when Joe came back to his desk, surprised to see her there.

"Sophia, why are you here, I thought you would be with Barry?"

"I've been assigned as your personal body guard- _well_ when I can spare my time that is," Sophia said with a sigh.

"Honey, I can take care of myself, you know that," Joe said and she nodded understanding where he was coming from. She wouldn't stand around in his hair or get in the way of him doing his job, but she needed to at least provide him with some form of protection until either Sapphire or The Flash made it onto the scene. She knew she wouldn't forgive herself if Joe got hurt on her watch.

"I know, but I'd feel much better if you'd keep this with you," Sophia said, pulling the wand out of her bag and handing it over to Joe. "Cisco designed it, it'll protect you from Mardon's powers. Keep it handy."

"Yeah, got it, Soph."

"That's not the only reason I came by. I need to speak with you, and I need you to be honest with me," Sophia said, her words gaining Joe's full attention. "Cisco said that you thought Dr. Wells might have had something to do with Barry's mothers' murder. Is that true?"

"It doesn't matter," Joe tried to squash the idea. "It was just a silly hunch."

"Why did you think that he was responsible?" Sophia continued to press on.

"I was wrong."

"I'm not so sure you were," She said, unsure of her words. "I'm worried that you were right."

Joe looked at Sophia, with a heavy heart. He knew deep down that something was going on with Dr. Wells, but without any proof, his claims were invalid and worthless, and he didn't want to cause any trouble with Barry, so he kept it between himself and Cisco.

"Look, Sophia, I can't talk about this right now, okay?" With Mark Mardon on the loose, he had more important things to worry about than a suspicion.

"Fine, I better get back to Star Labs. Call me if you need anything," Sophia said, accepting the fact that she wasn't going to get anything out of Joe.

As she flew in the air, taking her time to enjoy the flight she received a call from Barry. Mardon had been at the CCPD only minutes ago, and he had attacked. The Wand hadn't worked properly, and ended up failing them.

Sophia's heart lurched in her chest and she ran a hand through her hair, anxiously.

"Is everyone alright?" Sophia asked, her words coming out in a rush. She was worried that Joe would have gotten caught in the crossfire, and she had promised that she would protect him.

"No he's fine."

"Thank god."

"But the Captain, h-he's at the hospital, he's pretty banged up."

"I was just there, I could have stopped it, I could have-," She was cut off by Barry.

"Don't blame yourself, there was nothing that could have been done. I'm going to the hospital with Joe," Barry said. Everything was up in flames at the moment and he didn't know what do to. He had lost Mardon again and he was sure that

"I'm heading to Star Labs right now. Keep me updated on the situation."

"I will," He promised.

"Be careful Barry… _I love you_."

"I love you too," Barry said with a heavy sigh before hanging up. What they both didn't know was that it would be the last time they spoke those words to each other.

At least in this universe.

* * *

"Do you think he's capable of doing something bad?" Cisco asked her. The thought had been bugging him all morning since his chat with both Barry and then Sophia. He wondered back to the investigating that he had done secretly with Joe as they tried to place Wells at the scene of the crime.

"Is this because of what Barry said he heard?" Caitlin asked, placing her hand on Cisco's shoulder. Just as she was about to continue, Sophia walked into the room with a gloomy expression and sad eyes. But her voice was steady and strong as always.

"It wasn't just Barry, Caitlin. I heard it too, and I'm not so sure that Dr. Well has been entirely honest with us," Sophia said.

"Ever since the particle accelerator exploded, there's always been someone who's got it in for Dr. Wells," Caitlin pointed out and Cisco admitted that it was true.

"But-,"

"No, no, it's more than that. Joe said that maybe Dr. Wells was somehow involved in Barry's mother's death, and her murder," Cisco said, his words shocking Caitlin. The longer time went on, the more uneasy Sophia felt.

"That's absurd," Caitlin countered, crossing her arms. She didn't believe it one bit.

"Yeah, I know, and that's what I said, and we proved that, that wasn't the case, but I'm just saying that some things aren't adding up."

"A few more than some," Sophia added, taking a seat.

"Like what, for example?" Caitlin asked. If she was going to be believing anything, it would be the facts, and so she demanded that they provide some evidence to their theory.

"Come here, look at this," Sophia said, and Caitlin moved closer to the computer. She had sent Cisco a message a few hours ago and asked him to check out some details regarding the trap that they had set back at Christmas, to check that it hadn't been sabotaged, and Cisco had found some compelling results.

"The night that we trapped the Reverse Flash in the force-field, he escape because the containment system failed, but I checked that data three times, and the super-capacitors were still fully charged when he got out, not to mention the fact that Sophia was the one who was throwing all that energy in to keep the force-field up. It was bulletproof, but it failed, _why_?"

"The numbers don't add up, Caitlin," Sophia said and Cisco nodded in agreement. "I don't have a degree in engineering but I know that there was no reason that the containment system should have failed."

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation." Caitlin still didn't believe that Dr. Wells had bad intentions.

"One perfectly good explanation is that Wells did something to the trap," Cisco said. Sophia was surprised that he had supported this theory so passionately. It was obvious that Cisco had been doubting Dr. Wells for some time now, and that this had been a sign that he was on the right track.

"Are you suggesting that Dr. Wells is in league with The Man in the Yellow Suit? I'm-No, We. We all saw that thing nearly kill him that night," Caitlin vehemently pointed out, reminding them that Wells had nearly died that night.

"Emphasis on nearly," Sophia rebutted. She had a gut feeling that something was up with Wells, something had to be.

"What you're saying doesn't make any sense. It's crazy," Caitlin nearly yelled at them. _Emphasis on the nearly._

Suddenly, an idea popped into Sophia's head. She knew a way that they could test their theory. Technically that force-field would work on any Meta, and if she could get it up and running with Cisco and find out if it worked or not, then they would know if Wells had tampered with it.

"Can you keep Wells out of Star Labs tomorrow morning?" Sophia asked, and both of her friends eyed her, unsure of what she was getting at.

"It'll be hard, but I can do it," Caitlin said and Sophia nodded firmly, her face as serious as ever.

"I think we have a way of figuring it out."

* * *

They had all headed home that night with an idea of what they were going to do that morning. Sophia was more stressed than ever, especially once she had found out from Barry that Captain Singh was in worse condition than they had thought. He had been paralysed, losing feeling in his legs, and anything from his hips down. The guilt that sat in her stomach was enough to keep her up for most of the night, and she was desperate for the comfort of Barry's arms, but he had decided that he was going to stay at home that night to keep an eye out on Joe in case Mardon came looking for him.

It was nearing two am, and Sophia was just drifting off into sleep when she received a phone call from Cisco, shocking her awake as her ringtone blared, having forgotten to change the setting to silent. It had even seemed to have scared Chewie who bounced of her spot on her cat pole, climbing onto the bottom of Sophia's bed, and resting beside her feet.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Cisco asked, his voice wary.

She blinked, pausing to think about it, but she knew that if she was being honest with herself she was glad that they had decided to do this. It was better to be safe than sorry. If he was in league with the Reverse-Flash, or if he _was_ the Reverse-Flash then they needed to know. It was so messed up, but she prayed that everything would turn out in the end.

"Yes."

"I'm scared… of finding out the truth, of facing it, I don't know what to do," Cisco admitted and Sophia wished that he was there with her so she could comfort him. She couldn't imagine the fear, the guilt, the betrayal Cisco was feeling at this moment. If it was all true, then everything they ever knew about Wells, the last few years, it was all a lie.

"Its human nature to be scared Cisco. I've got super powers, and I'm scared out of my mind… It's something we have to do, and we need to do it now. But, I'll tell you one thing. No matter what happens tomorrow, I've always got your back. I'm always going to protect you."

Cisco wasn't just a friend. He was family. He was her brother, and she would protect him.

"You're really good at emotional speeches you know that," Cisco said, lightening the mood in a second, something she loved about him.

"I know," She laughed softly. "Go to sleep Cisco."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

Anxiety. Nervousness. Tension. Unease.

These were only a few of the edgy feelings both Sophia and Cisco were currently going through at the moment. Caitlin had successfully lured Dr. Wells out that morning to Jitters for breakfast, and they had sprinted down to the lab to run more tests on the containment force-field.

Cisco was typing away on the computer, his fingers moving like a speeding bullet as he started the diagnostic tests, praying they would finish in time. They weren't sure how long they had to pull this off without Dr. Wells in the building.

"Can you turn it on? We can test if it works."

"Yeah, gimme a second," Cisco said, moving around the room to turn on the capacitors, pushing the lever up and putting it on full power. A second later, the light blue force-field emitted from the machine, creating the force-field.

"I guess it's time to see if this thing works," Sophia said, taking a deep breath. She jumped up and down lightly on both feet, shaking her hands and trying to get rid of the jittery feeling running through her body. _You can do this._

She moved to the back of the room, and then ran at the force-field, before jumping into flight and heading straight for it. She crashed into the force-field and practically bounced off it, with a painful pressure, landing back where she started, groaning as she tried to push herself up off the floor.

"It works," She groaned and Cisco ran over helping her up. She shouldn't have worn her heeled boots today she thought as she noted the throbbing pain in her ankle from the landing.

"He must have sabotaged it, that's the only way," Cisco said, moving towards the force-field to look at it.

It was a second later that there was a rush of wind in the room. Sophia turned her head to see that it was Dr. Wells- the Reverse Flash- or whoever the hell he was. On instinct she pushed Cisco inside the force-field, protecting him from the danger that stood before them.

She then threw up her own shield, effectively creating another barrier between them and _him._

Wells just stood there, watching their dumfounded faces before he walked forward slowly, clapping as though he was applauding their discovery.

"You're incredibly clever Cisco. I've always said so," Wells said, "But _you,_ " he pointed to Sophia, "You, I was certainly impressed. You've come far, further than I expected. The future you wasn't as impressive as this version, and I guess you have myself to thank for that."

Sophia scoffed, his words tasting like venom as they travelled in her ears. "You're despicable."

"You're him. The Reverse Flash," Cisco accused, his words coming out wobbly.

"We haven't been truly, properly introduced. I am Eobard Thawne," Eobard announced, a sly grin placed on his lips.

"Thawne? Like Eddie?" Sophia threw the question out in the air, but kept her focus on her shields. She threw layer over layer over layer, hoping that he didn't see through her. After all, he was her mentor, he did teach her how to use her powers, and she was sure he knew what she was doing even before she did.

"Let's call him a distant relative."

"That night that we trapped the Reverse Flash, you almost died," Cisco pointed out, wondering how the hell he could have been in two places at the same time. It was impossible, even by their standards.

"Mm-hmm," Eobard hummed. It was one of his most enjoyable ideas that he had carried out. He liked to have a flair for the dramatic, it added a nice twist.

"There were two of you," Cisco continued.

"It's an after image, a speed mirage if you will."

"Joe was onto something, he was right," Sophia breathed out, the panic seeping into her voice even though she tried so hard to keep her composure. She had gone up against the Reverse Flash with Barry and Ronnie back at Christmas, and they hadn't even been able to get on his level. She knew that there was a chance she wouldn't walk out of this alive. She just hoped that Cisco was safe inside the force-field.

"Why?"

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that Sophia," Eobard said, sounding exasperated and desperate. Now that they knew his secret he had to kill them, his whole plan was coming to an end.

"Why did you kill Nora Allen? You were there that night," She continued, a blue flame burning deep in her eyes. "Why did you do it?"

"I was there to kill Barry." Even though they knew it was coming, his words didn't hurt any less. It felt like a sucker punch to the gut. To think that the same man who they held in such high esteem was the true cause for Nora's death, for Henry's imprisonment, for Barry's pain, for The Flash, for Sapphire. It send her head reeling in pain.

"Why? You're his friend. You've been teaching him how to go faster," Cisco asked.

"I know. A means to an end. And I'll tell you why," Eobard began, stepping forward, closer and closer to the shield. Sophia stepped back in fear that he would walk through, but before he even touched it, he stopped in his place, continuing his story. "Because I have been stuck here, marooned here in this place for 15 long years. And The Flash, and the Flash's speed is the key to my returning to my world," Eobard said, his voice sounding more hoarse than usual. "To my time. And no one, not even the Sapphire knight is going to prevent that from happening."

Eobard stepped forward, phasing through the shield with ease. Sophia didn't waste a second, her eyes glowing their bright blue, as she threw blast after blast after blast of energy at him. Her fist collided with his, the energy bouncing him back against the wall, but he was up before she could react further, her effort fruitless. She expelled energy from all angles, the air now electrified with cobalt, but somehow, he was just fast enough to manoeuver through her attacks, phasing through the energy.

He was just too fast.

Cisco watched on in horror as Eobard grabbed Sophia by the neck, squeezing the life out of her with his hands, trying to keep her still. No matter how hard she struggled against him, she couldn't get rid of his grip as she clawed at his hands desperately, her nails digging painfully into his skin as her airways closed up. It happened so fast that it was a wonder Cisco saw anything at all. Eobard phased his hand straight through Sophia's chest, driving it into her heart, tearing the organ to pieces before ripping his hand out of her chest.

"No!" Cisco screamed his lungs out, watching with wide eyes as Sophia was murdered before him.

Sophia's knees collapsed and her limp body fell to the ground unceremoniously, blood seeping through her white shirt. Without her heart pumping her blood, delivering oxygen to her brain, she was dead within a few moments, the life seeping out of her. Her eyes were empty, as her last thoughts travelled to her parents, and finally, the image of Barry's gorgeous green eyes flashed across her vision, ready to guide her home.

With her final breath escaping her lungs, her eyes fluttered closed, her last thought of her love for those around her, praying that her sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Today was the end of the Sapphire Knight.

Today was the day that Sophia Lang died.

* * *

Barry was on the other side of town, down at the beach trying to stop a tidal wave that was headed towards the inner urban setting, sent by Mark Mardon to destroy Central City. He had to admit that today had just kept getting weirder and weirder, and he wanted it all to stop.

After Captain Singh had been admitted to the hospital, and diagnosed with paralysis, their hope and faith had slowly dwindled down the drain. Joe was angry, Eddie wanted Justice and Barry blamed himself for not getting there on time. He wasn't even sure where Cisco or Sophia were, only that they had disappeared for a while to do some research. He hadn't gotten a chance to speak to either of them, and he hoped that wherever they were in this mess, that they were alright. Little did he know that both had been murdered over the last two minutes, and by the hands of the man that he trusted so much.

Joe had then decided that it was the morally right thing to go and face Mardon himself, and end it once and for all. This just ended up with him being captured by Mardon, and tortured. Mardon swore that he would go after Iris, and end her life just as painfully-If not more, than the way that Joe had killed Clyde. Mardon had then called Iris from Joe's phone, leaving her with an ultimatum. She could either come down to the docks where he had Joe, or she could leave him to die.

Iris had gone to Barry straight away, and that's how he ended up where he was now, standing on the beach, unsure of how he was going to protect the city from the tidal wave that was about to hit. He needed Sophia's help. With her ability to create shields, she might be able to create one large enough to block the wave from ever hitting, but he couldn't get through to her phone, or Cisco's.

Just as he was about to call Caitlin, he felt a strange sensation in his chest. It was like someone had punched him in the gut. For some reason, he knew that something was not right. He picked up his phone from his pocket, ready to dial the number when he saw Caitlin's call running through. He could already hear the thunder rumbling in the distance, he knew that he needed to be quick, or they'd all be crushed by the water soon.

"Barry!"

"Caitlin," He yelled out through the comm. in relief. He needed her help, he needed his team.

"Barry, I need to talk to you, Dr. Wells, he isn't-," Caitlin was just about to tell Barry that Dr. Wells was indeed the Reverse Flash, and that both Sophia and Cisco were in danger. She hadn't checked up on the surveillance system yet, and was unsure if they were fine.

"Hey, there's no time for that now alright. There is a tsunami heading for the city. How do I stop it?" Barry rushed out. He couldn't listen to them talk about Dr. Wells having secrets anymore, not at a time like this.

"Theoretically, if you can create a vortex barrier along the coastline, a wall of wind, that would be able to sap the tidal wave of its energy before it hits the city," Caitlin explained, her words mumbled as she tried to come up with an idea and fast.

"By running back and forth… how fast?"

"I don't know if you can run that fast," Caitlin admitted with a heavy sigh.

"Where's Sophia, I need her help."

"That's the problem, I-I don't know what's happened-," Caitlin tried to get out, but Barry asked her exactly how fast he needed to run, and he knew what had to be done.

"I need to." With that he hung up, changing into his suit and focusing on the task ahead, ignoring the pang in his chest, and the worry that sat in his stomach. He needed to stop being Barry Allen for the moment, and become The Flash, otherwise, Central City would be no more. He ran, back and forth along the coastline, faster and faster and faster. He thought of Sophia, then Joe and Iris, then his father, and then his mother. He thought of Nora's strength, of her love, of her kindness, and he channelled all his emotions into energy, into his power.

He was running faster, faster than he had ever before and it was beyond exhilarating. He pushed his body to the limit. He knew that he had to do this, not only to protect the city, but those he loved. He felt his body glide through the speed force, not realising that he had started to move into time travel the very moment he started to speed up.

"Taxi! Taxi! Oh come on! I'm gonna be late!" A man yelled as he rushed on the sidewalk late at night trying to catch a cab, this exact moment replicating the scene had witnessed the day before. The bout of Déjà vu enough to make him pause in his running, his body jerking on the scene as he came to a stop with his feet skidding on the ground as he realised where he was.

" _Oh boy_."

* * *

 **A / N – TALK ABOUT DRAMA.**

 **SOPHIA IS DEAD. CISCO IS DEAD. EVERYONE IS DEAD.**

 **Okay, but not really… as I'm sure you've all realised…**

 **Also, heads up that I posted a ONE-SHOT it's an AU Sophia/Barry full of lots of fluff, so go check that out. It's on my profile, called NEW ROMANTICS. It's just something short and sweet to make up for this mess. :P**

 **Thank you for all the new follows and favourites, as per usual. You guys are honestly the best. Hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, it was one hell of a ride. But the fun's just getting started.**

 **Apologies if I start to fall behind in updates, UNI is certainly hectic right now, but I promise I'm doing my best to stay on top of it all. It's my birthday this weekend, so I wanted to post this early, because I'll be out the whole day tomorrow, and my actual birthday.**

 **REPLIES:**

 **Ms'Oleary: Sweetheart, of course I'd never forget about you. ;) I'm glad you got to read the two together at least, and I know you'll be happy to see another chapter in such a short time (well for you at least). I thought it would be funny to add it in. Yes, poor Anna, I've basically made her this ragdoll that gets killed, brought back to life, then kidnapped and taken her memory away… basically I am trash. I am still considering on whether to have her connected with Rip Hunter, but at the moment I want to keep this Ellain and Amara arc going. Ellain and Amara are both from the future, and they've been hunting Anna down. So more of that to come in the future for sure. They actually get apprehended soon, but Anna doesn't get her memory back for a while, so there is a little spoiler. Shhhh. Yeah, I figured, she saved his life, and he knew her identity, her weakness and he felt it was only right to share that with her, plus this means that there might be some more TAG TEAM: Superman & Sapphire going on in the future! I always do that with stories that I love, I read it way too fast, and then miss things and I'm like "oops, gotta go back". SO, hope you enjoyed this, sorry for my super long and lame reply. It's late and I'm tired. ;) **

**AnonAppreciater: You are too adorable, thank you so much for your kind words, ily. It takes forever to write, but it is totally worth it. WOO. I was so worried about making Superman to OOC, but he's the perfect combination of snarky and reserved, and I think I got it right. He is a fluff ball isn't he? He's like 95% of the reason I write this story, it just is so easy to write characters interacting with that pure cinnamon roll. Really hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well, looking forward to hearing from you.**

 **KindleFlame5: WOO. I'm seriously loving this girl power vibe that all you readers have going on, and I apologise for killing Sophia this episode, but it fit in really well with the next one to… but yeah she's still badass, and she will get her revenge in the future, don't you worry! Thanks for the review.**

 **Guest: here you go! ;) I don't even want to know how many times you typed out the word please, ahaha, it made me laugh so much. But just so you know for future reference, I usually update on a Thursday or Friday (from Australia) so that's about a Wednesday or Thursday American time. Also, I updated my other star wars fic the other day, I wasn't sure which fic you were referring to, but figured it was that since it's the only other one that is recent. Thank you for your review, it really made me laugh. You're too precious.**

 **Highlander348: She was too badass, a pure sinnamon roll if we're being honest here. More to come in the future… but she used a teleportation device on her wrist to get away… something that was designed in the future… where she is from… a lot of craziness, I know, but it'll all start to fit together soon enough. Yes, she can! It's one of the new things she's learning, so sort of make the shield mould to the shape of her body, so it's like directly protecting her, instead of like a sort of bubble shield around her… And Thanks for the review, hope this cleared up some of your questions.**

 **Aditi Upadhyay: Thank you for your review! To be honest, 100 for me seems like 1000000 haha. This story has reached 150 follows so far, and to me that's ridiculously great. Glad that you really enjoyed the last chapter, I added in some more Barry/Sophia for all you guys since they were apart for the last two (at least physically). ^.^ Hope it was 'steamy' enough. I don't really write smut, but I wanted to include one hell of a kiss, so there was that… I'm terrible when it comes to writing that sort of stuff anyways, so I'm sure it would have turned out horrendously. Aww, that is so sweet. I'm really happy that you like her as a character, and their relationship. Hope this chapter wasn't too hard on your feels… because it isn't even anything compared to what's coming next. *cue evil laughter***

 **Ravenmore45: Everyone seems to be really keen on seeing Sophia taken on Superman, so who knows, maybe I'll add it in the future. I kind of want to build Sophia's powers up a bit more, and train her up to be even stronger, but don't worry, plenty more action to come with her from now on. And even though in this episode she can't take on the Reverse Flash, in the future you'll see her much stronger and powerful than ever.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	21. Heartbeat

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Mind racing, heart pounding violently and his chest heaving as he took in deep breaths, Barry tried to focus on his surroundings.

 _What the hell?_

"No, no Taxi! Oh come on! I'm gonna be late!" A man yelled as he rushed on the sidewalk late at night, trying to catch a cab.

"Oh boy."

He turned around on the spot, in a full circle, looking at the city's nightlife around him. He had just been here yesterday. Lost in thought, he didn't register that Cisco was yelling into his ear piece, and for at least a good half a minute by this point.

"Hey, what's going on?" Cisco asked, unsure of why Barry had stopped, and why he wasn't responding. "Dude?"

"Yeah, Cisco," Barry finally replied. "I'm here."

"What happened, why'd you stop?" Cisco questioned, taking a look at the time.

"I just got a little disoriented," Barry exhaled deeply. His vision was slightly blurred and he was feeling nauseous. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating everything that he was seeing right now, but one thing he knew for sure. He had already been here.

"Well you need to make up some time, man. You better hurry up," Cisco pointed out. If Barry didn't move his butt, he would be late for sure.

"Hurry?" Barry asked, still confused as to what was going on. "What are you-"

"Hurry, as in get to the morgue," Cisco clarified.

"The morgue, I was there. Yesterday."

"What are you talking about? Come on, you gotta go."

Barry ran to the morgue, and he saw the exact same scene as it was yesterday. He felt like it was an out of body experience, walking through the morgue in the _same_ steps, seeing the _same_ dead body lying on the floor, the _same_ M.O. It's like he was repeating the exact _same_ day. The last thing he remembered was the tidal wave about to hit central city. He remembered pushing his body to the limit, running faster and faster and faster in order to stop it and to protect everyone.

So _why_? Why in God's name had he been transported back to the past?

"Hey Bar," Joe greeted as he walked into the room. Barry barely nodded, still stuck in a muddled daze. "What's with all the water? Did the sprinkler system go off or something?"

"What? No, I checked the sprinklers. They're all intact. But the water has ice in it, and the bruises on the coroner aren't just on his face. Look at his torso," Barry rushed out. He had already broken down this crime scene once before, and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't making things up.

Joe bent down and lifted the coat of the coroner, his eyes easily finding the harsh bruises, painted all over his chest. Blue, purple and yellow were all splayed across the coroner's body, and they knew for sure that this wasn't an ordinary murder.

"Whoa. How the hell did you know that?"

"He was killed by hail. We have to listen to the recording," Barry insisted, ignoring Joe's question.

"Recording?" Joe raised a brow, unsure of what he was referring to. Just as Joe was about to inquire further, Eddie came waltzing into the room, bearing a recorder in hand.

"Joe, we got something. The coroner's office just installed an automated dictation system," Eddie said with a relieved sigh. This could leave them one step closer to figuring out what happened here. "Listen to this," Eddie said, pressing the play button.

"Please, no more," The voice begged. It must have been the coroner judging by the vulnerability of the words.

"I'll stop when you tell me," A deeper voice echoed.

"Just stop!" and the recording ended there. They all looked at each other quizzically, trying to think about the video.

"Who killed him?"

"It's Mark Mardon," Barry announced much to Joe's surprise. "He wants revenge."

* * *

"And I really don't wanna go."

"He's your brother, Cisco," Caitlin said firmly. To Caitlin, family was precious, and even though he had a slightly unbalanced relationship with his brother, it didn't mean that he couldn't go and wish him a happy birthday.

"Not by choice," Cisco pointed out, crossing his arms and pouting like a little kid. He didn't hate his brother. Hate was too strong of word. He severely disliked him more like it. Ever since they were kids, his brother was always praised for his talents, for his intelligence, for his athleticism, for everything. Cisco felt as though his whole life, his achievements and everything about him were overshadowed by his brother, and he didn't want to have to suffer through another family gathering that was dedicated _to_ his brother.

"Okay, well, how bad can a birthday party be?"

"Um, my folks think Dante's stink doesn't stink," Cisco alleged with a scrunched up nose.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration Cisco," Sophia piped in as she walked through the cortex doors. She had just picked up the last bit of their conversation, and immediately knew what they were talking about. Cisco had complained about not wanting to go to Dante's birthday party for over three weeks now, and she was getting sick and tired of it. She would do anything to go and see her family, but they were back in Kansas, and she was in Central City, dealing with meta-human problems that she couldn't leave for long.

"You have no siblings, therefore you can't justify that statement," Cisco threw at Sophia, who pursed her lips.

"I have plenty of cousins, so I think I sort of understand it."

"Whatever. Doesn't matter how much he screws up, or how many times he gets into trouble. In their eyes, he can do no wrong. And yet, they never fail to remind me that I can do no right." Cisco's mood was beginning to depress them all and Caitlin suggested that he take someone with him.

"Yeah, like who?"

"What if I came with you?" Caitlin offered.

"What? Seriously?" Cisco announced, surprised at her offer.

"Absolutely. You've done so much for more. Let me be there for you for a change. And I could look at old family photo albums and see what little Cisco looks like without long hair," Caitlin teased, a smile on her face as she pictured seeing the cute toddler version of Cisco, imagining him with big cheeks and a toothy smile.

"I'm rescinding your invite," He said glowering at her, but both girls just laughed in response.

"What about you Soph?"

"Can't, I made plans with Barry." Barry had called just before she had walked into the room, saying that he needed to talk with her about something, and so she cleared her schedule that had consisted of her sitting on her couch and re-watching daredevil on Netflix, so that they could chat. His voice sounded full of worry and anxiety, and she hoped that it was nothing serious. She knew that Iris had been talking about Wells in the last day or so, unsure of his loyalty as she slowly uncovered secrets about him. She assumed that is what they were going to discuss, and frankly, there was a heavy feeling in her chest that it was the right thing to do.

"Can't you leave your boy toy for a few hours?" Cisco teased.

"I would have considered it if you hadn't called him my _boy toy_ ," Sophia said through a playful glare.

"Fine, I guess, Caitlin and I will have to have all the fun."

* * *

It was a short while later that Barry had appeared down at Star Labs, placing a doting kiss on Sophia's forehead before moving around to the other side of the desk. He had placed the kiss on her face so fast that it took her a second to realise what had just happened, and she never failed to blush whenever he did so.

It was a second later that a sharp pain echoed in her heart, leaving her with a scrunched up face and squirming in her seat at the uncomfortable nature of the pain.

"You alright?" Cisco asked and Sophia nodded, taking a sip of the water that was sitting next to her. She had been having chest pains all day, and had just chalked it up to stress, and probably too much big belly burger during late night shifts. She decided that later today she would go and pick up some groceries, since she was out of most vegetables and the only thing in her fridge was some off milk. She didn't even realise until that morning when she had wanted to eat some cereal for breakfast, and upon the realisation had just gone to Jitters to pick up something on the way to work.

"I'm fine," She reassured Cisco, bringing her hand to her chest to massage the area that was hurting.

Barry had then run down the whole situation, explaining to them that Mark Mardon was now on the loose in Central City, hunting down those who killed his brother… or in other words, Joe West.

"Clyde Mardon has a brother?" Sophia asked.

"So, both Mardon brothers survived the plane crash and then the dark matter released by the Particle Accelerator explosion affects them both in the-"

"Virtually in the same way," Barry and Wells said together, sending weird looks at each other.

"That's right."

"Only, Mark's not like Clyde at all. He can do things that you couldn't even imagine," Barry told them. Sophia scrunched her forehead in confusion, unsure of what Barry meant.

"You mean he's sort of like a-"Cisco was cut off slightly when Barry spoke with him at the same time.

"Weather Wizard?"

"Yeah. Mmm," Cisco sipped on his frozen drink, enjoying the cool taste, until it gave him a brain freeze, and he started to groan at the uncomfortable sensation.

"Trigeminal headache?" Barry and Caitlin spoke at the same time.

Sophia sent Barry a weird look. This whole saying things at the same time as others was getting weird, and fast. How did he know what they were going to say, that was more than just a coincidence.

"Mr. Allen, a word please," Dr. Wells announced, before rolling into another room, Barry following him.

"You ruptured the time continuum, didn't you? You're experiencing temporal reversion," Dr. Wells said.

"Yeah!" Finally, an explanation.

"How long?" His questions were quick and to the point.

"A day and some change. It's like I'm living it all over again." Barry leaned against the table, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well that's good. That means there's not too much you could've messed up yet."

"Yeah, I guess."

"How did this happen?" Dr. Wells inquired. He wondered if Barry knew his secret, and for both their sakes, he hoped that it wasn't the case.

"I-I don't know," Barry admitted. He hadn't meant to go back in the past, but he must have been running so fast that he did.

"I mean, I was running faster than I've ever ran, and the first time that I lived this day some really horrible things happened. There was a tidal wave and-," Barry was cut off.

"No. Do not tell me. I do not want to know anything about the future you experienced," Dr. Wells made clear, but Barry opened his mouth to speak again and Wells shook his head. "Nothing."

"Okay, but Dr. Wells, I-,"

"Barry. Time is an extremely fragile construct. Any deviation, no matter how small, could result in a cataclysm. Now here's what you're going to do. Everything you did before. Every word you uttered, every step you took, you're going to do again. And you're not going to tell anyone this happened."

"Hey, alright? You looked a little bit… dazed this morning," Sophia asked Barry and he shook his head nonchalantly.

"I'm good," Barry said but there was something in his tone of voice that was a little too high, and Sophia caught on immediately. She raised her brows at him quizzically, tilting her head to the side and placing her hands on her hips.

"Are you sure you don't want to change that statement?" She asked. She knew Barry well enough to know when he was lying and the longer she stared him down, the more he cracked under her gaze.

"Okay," He sighed, knowing that he could never lie to her, "but I have an errand I need to run before I can explain."

"Fine, I'll see you later."

"I'll be back soon. Love you," Barry promised, rushing over and placing a chaste kiss on her lips before zooming out of Star Labs, ready to capture Mardon and to end the disaster before it began.

"Love you too," Sophia whispered as she stood alone in the empty hallway of Star Labs.

* * *

Barry had reappeared at Star Labs shortly, dragging Mark Mardon's ass in tow, and down to the prison in the Particle Accelerator. They all stood there watching with confused expressions, and surprise written all over their faces. How the hell Barry caught him so quickly was a mystery to them all.

"I'm gonna break out of here!" Mark yelled, trying to create a ball of ice from his hands, throwing it at the glass of his cell, only for it to shatter into pieces, leaving the door still intact. "I'm gonna create a tidal wave that destroys your entire city!"

Sophia stepped forward sick of his empty threats, and pressed a button on the panel, sending the man in the cell backwards, and into the prison where he would stay for a very long time.

"So, I still don't understand. How did you find him?" Cisco questioned as Barry turned back to them, pulling the hood off his suit.

"I just had a hunch," Barry said nonchalantly, and Sophia looked at him pointedly, still waiting for the explanation.

"That's got to be some kind of record," Cisco mused.

"Yeah," Barry laughed nervously. The truth was that he had known exactly where Mardon was hiding out at this particular time of the day, and he knew not to underestimate him again. It hadn't taken long at all to apprehend him.

"Well, there goes my excuse for bailing on my brother's birthday," Cisco whined.

"Well before you leave, I need your help repairing my mask," Sophia reminded Cisco and he nodded, telling her that he would meet her down in his office, which was basically the engineering room.

"You owe me an explanation Mr. Allen," Sophia said now that it was just the two of them alone.

"It's complicated, might take a while," Barry said. He was going to tell her about the future, but also of the worries that Iris had confessed to him about Wells having something to do with Simon Stagg's death. There was something about it that didn't sit well with him, and he didn't know if he could trust Dr. Wells completely without quashing his doubts.

"I've got plenty of time," Sophia said, and just as Barry was about to delve into his story, even though he knew it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, he was called by Dr. Wells on the com. System.

"Raincheck?"

"Sure."

Barry was now anxiously walking down the hall to meet Dr. Wells privately. He knew that the older man had advised him not to change any events, or speak of what had happened in that future, but he couldn't help himself. If he hadn't captured Mardon now, then a lot of people would have gotten hurt, and the city would be in danger all over again, without any way to stop the disaster. He was trying to do the right thing.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

"Yeah, I do. I just saved a lot of lives," Barry said, not regretting what he had done. Singh, Joe and many more had suffered, and he had prevented any of that from happening at all.

"I warned you not to mess with the timeline."

"Dr. Wells, if you would just let me tell you what was gonna happen, you'd understand why I did this," Barry tried to explain.

"Whatever tragedy you think you've just averted, time will find a way to replace it, and trust me, Barry, the next one could be much worse," Dr Wells said with a tone of finality. Before Barry could say anything, the sound of familiar screams echoed down the hallway, spiking fear through Barry as he contemplated the weight of Dr. Well's words.

* * *

Sophia made her way down to the engineering room to meet Cisco. She need to repair a piece of her mask. The material was slightly torn and she needed to stitch it back up so that it would stay on and not fall off, during a fight. It had nearly happened the other day, and she had been using a piece of string hiding underneath her hair to keep it in place.

Just as she was heading down there she felt a sharp pain erupt in her chest, causing her steps to falter, stopping to lean against the wall as she moved down the hallway. She groaned in the uncomfortable stabbing pain in her chest, similar to the one she had experienced that morning, but more potent. Her eyes sealed shut as she waited for the pain to go away, curling her hand up into a fist, her face frozen in a grimace. It was half a minute later that the pain subsided and she opened her eyes again, fluttering open them to clear her vision. Her breathing was still erratic and she felt like there wasn't enough oxygen entering her lungs. A wave of nausea hit her and she felt like she was going to be real sick.

 _What's happening to me?_

She tried to shake it off as she continued to move down the hallway, but it came back, this time, like a fire burning out of control and she couldn't help it as she crumbled to the ground, this time screaming out in pain, desperately calling for help. It felt like someone was strangling her throat, her airways closing up and her heart squirming in agony as though someone was trying to rip it out of her chest. That was last thing she felt before her heart stopped beating, her vision spiralling into an ocean of darkness.

* * *

"Don Santini, they're here. Move it," The guard said as he ushered the two men inside, nudging their backs with the butt of his gun.

"Oh, love the panelling," Snart commented as soon as he walked in, his eyes darting around the room and assessing the predicament they were currently wedged in. He knew that he would be walking out of here alive, and with what he had come for. His calculating eyes found Don Santini's in an instant, and he didn't say a word, just stared him down until the man spoke.

"Mahogany? So glad your house is made out of wood," Mick Rory said with a smirk. "It's gonna be a pleasure watching it burn."

"What are you doing back in Central City, Snart?" Don Santini asked. He knew that both Snart and Rory were bad for business, and since they had been gone, their profit had boomed, and he wasn't keen on letting it drop back down again. He wasn't pleased to see that they were both back, and looking to cause trouble.

"This is my city. _Our_ city," Snart replied.

"I told you if I ever saw you again, I'd put the hurt on you. You stir up trouble. Trouble is bad for business," Santini warned.

"It's time for you and your family to pack up. Leave town… retire to warmer climates," Snart suggested dangerously, narrowing his eyes at Don.

"Finito. And if we don't?" Santini asked, wondering if Snart's words were just an empty threat.

"You will all freeze," Snart said simply, as though it was obvious.

"Or burn," Rory threw in with excitement written all over his face.

"I heard about your guns," Don said, pursing his lips. "I also heard that you lost them. So, tell me, Snart. What the hell are you and your pyro friend gonna do without your fancy weapons?"

"This," Snart said, moving forward at the same time as Rory, punching and kicking their way through Santini's body guards… or what was left of them anyway, leaving Don for last. Their attacks had been brutal, and had awoken a savageness inside of them that they hadn't felt for quite a while, and Snart had to agree with Mick that it felt exhilarating.

"Now that was fun!" Mick announced with a smirk full of spite, as he picked up one of the guns lost in the fight from the ground, cocking the gun and aiming it at Don Santini himself.

"Go," Snart said kicking Don in the backside, pushing him towards the front door of the Casino. "Tell the rest of the Santini family there's a new Godfather. And his name is _Cold_."

* * *

"Sophia!" Barry shouted her name as he tried to rouse her. He had run over to find her collapsed on the floor in the middle of the hallway, her hair spilled out beneath her head and her chest stagnant with movement. His fingers went to her neck immediately, and he found no pulse, no heartbeat.

Panic welled up in his chest as he picked her up in his arms, her head lolling against his arm. Her eyes were glued shut, her face pale of all colour and her usual soft pink lips were now a dangerous shade of blue. There wasn't the familiar rise and fall of her chest, or the sound of her breathing… there was nothing. Fear was coursing through him as he rushed her down to the med bay where Caitlin was lounging with a cup of coffee. Caitlin dropped the cup unceremoniously, the glass shattering on the ground, spilling the drink along with it as Caitlin moved quickly with wide eyes to see what was happening.

"Quick, she has no heartbeat," Barry yelled and Caitlin pulled the draw open, grabbing a pair of scissors and tearing Sophia's t-shirt open as fast as she could to get proper access before pulling out the defibrillator, and attaching the sticky part of the pads to her chest.

"What happened?" Cisco asked as he came rushing in, skidding to a stop, Dr. Wells not far behind him.

"I don't know, b-but she screamed, and her heart, i-it's not, it's not beating."

"Come on Soph," Caitlin whispered as she got to work, warming the pads up and then placing them on the correct locations on her chest, holding it down and releasing. The shock from the AED released the dysfunctional rhythm that was causing the heart attack and Caitlin threw them aside, starting CPR straight away. She knew that there was only a four minute window since Sophia had the heart attack for her to revive her successfully using both the machine and CPR.

"Come on," Caitlin said, as she continued the compressions, stopping when Barry placed the mask on Sophia's face, pumping oxygen into her lungs.

Suddenly, Sophia's body lurched forward, her back arched, eyes open and glowing white, until she fell back down on the bed, slumping into the mattress, and they all looked to the monitor frantically, waiting for an indication that she was alright, that she was going to be okay.

It was dead for a moment and they all feared the worst. Barry closed his eyes in dread, tears trickling down his cheek, and that's when they heard the smallest blip, and slowly her heartbeat appeared on the monitor. Barry let out a breath that he didn't even know he had been holding as he stared down at Sophia's unconscious form. He looked to Caitlin to see what she would do next.

Her heart was beating again, but she was still in the danger zone. Her blood pressure was abnormally low, and her breathing dependant on the oxygen machine that Caitlin had just hooked her up to. Caitlin whipped out her mini flashlight, prying Sophia's eyelid open to check her pupils. Her eyes had stopped glowing the mysterious white they had before, and were now back to normal. Caitlin grabbed an IV bag, hooking up a cannula to her inner right elbow, and priming the line, getting some solid fluids back into her body to help bring her blood pressure back up. Caitlin had also then administered some light pain relief through the IV, knowing that Sophia's chest would be sore and slightly bruised after both the heart attack, and the CPR that had followed.

Barry stood by Sophia's side the entire time, slowly brushing her hair out of her face, his other hand clamped in her own. After declaring that Sophia was in a stable condition everyone visibly sighed in relief, Barry and Caitlin slumping down into some chairs next to her bed after the hard work, still shaky from the shock of it all. This was certainly not something they expected would ever happen.

"How the hell did _she_ of all people have a heart attack?" Caitlin asked with wide eyes, as she ran around trying to get her equipment to perform an ECG in order to get a basic snapshot into what was going on.

All Barry could think about was the fact that she had nearly died. Sophia was in perfect health, and with her abilities, shouldn't have been prone to such attacks, especially considering her lack of medical issues, and her age. It was all confusing and Caitlin was more worried than ever for her friend.

And the fact that Wells had warned him not to change events… and that there would be repercussions. What if he had caused this? _What if it's my fault? What if I did this to her?_ He brought his hand up to his mouth to prevent a sob from escaping, trying his best to stay strong.

Though, what Barry didn't know was that a mirror effect was occurring. Sophia's heart had been ripped out of her chest, and crumbled into pieces by Eobard Thawne in the timeline that Barry had previous been in. But by coming to the past to redo it all, he changed that future unknowingly, and doing so, he caused problems. Sophia was experiencing the heart attack that her former self was having in the parallel timeline, and thus the reason for all the drama. But neither party would figure this out til much later, and Barry would blame himself for indirectly hurting her even though it was never his fault in the first place.

Barry moved forward hesitantly, carefully pushing the dark hair out of Sophia's face, tucking it softly behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek. He moved, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, before sitting down and taking her hand in his own, holding it close to his face.

"Please wake up," Barry whispered, as he sat next by her side, looking down at her unconscious face. She had been fine this morning, everything had been fine this morning, and he couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault.

* * *

"This wasn't exactly the excuse I planned on using, so I wouldn't have to go to Dante's party," Cisco mumbled as he and Caitlin sat by Sophia's side, watching as she slept.

Caitlin sighed, placing a comforting hand on Cisco's shoulder. "I know. Don't worry, she'll wake up soon." Judging by all the signs, and her rate of recovery, she should be up within the next half hour or so. After sitting by her side for an hour, Barry had left, zooming out of there with a look of pain and anger on his face as he went to meet Dr. Wells.

Neither of them were sure why, but they knew that this morning Barry had been acting weird, and they wondered if it had anything to do with it. So to be supportive, they sat by Sophia's side, taking care of her, and watching over her until Barry returned. Caitlin had finished performing an ECG, and was surprised to see that her results were beyond normal. In fact, she had been at the perfect epitome of health, the readings didn't even come up with any sign that she had even had the heart attack in the first place which had baffled Caitlin for the last hour as she tried to determine what exactly was going on.

Meanwhile, Barry was running on the treadmill, trying to exceed the speed at which he had ran that allowed him to travel back in time. He needed to get back, he needed to fix things, and he needed to stop Sophia from having a heart attack. In the previous timeline she had been fine, so this had to have been the repercussions of his actions, for catching Mardon… it made him sick to his stomach. He stopped running, panting as he turned the machine off. It wasn't working.

"I don't get it," Barry said to Wells with a frustrated tone. "I've been running just as fast as I was when it happened and nothing. I'm still here."

"Any number of things could've triggered the wormhole that allows you to repeat your day. Your emotions, your circumstances, your cortisol levels, all of the above."

"Well, I mean, my adrenaline was super high since the entire city-," Barry started, but was cut off.

"No, no, no. No details. I told you," Dr. Wells warned again.

"All right, I'm sorry, but I stopped Mardon already, and that seemed to impact Sophia. I'm trying, but I can't change the fact that's happened. What if something else goes wrong?"

"We'll just have to wait and see."

There was a knock at the mouth of the room and both men turned to see that it was Joe.

"Detective," Dr. Wells inclined his head and Joe responded with a 'Hey', before he left the room.

"What are you doing here?" Barry asked.

"So when were you planning on telling me you took down Mardon? Or the fact that Sophia's laying in the med bay after having a heart attack?" Joe asked, crossing his arms. As soon as he had received the heads up from Cisco, about what had gone down that morning, he had rushed over to Star Labs in a hurry, worried about Sophia and the fact that Barry had caught Mardon without him.

"I just haven't had a chance yet." Between all the dramas that had just gone down, the thought of telling Joe that he had captured Mardon hadn't even crossed his mind. "Sorry, I've just been focused on Sophia."

"I'm not mad about that. She'll be alright. But I am curious," Joe said, his last words referring to the swift capture of Mark Mardon.

"Look, Joe, there are some things that I can't tell you, and you're gonna have to trust me," Barry said with a steady voice. He couldn't risk telling anyone about the future now, not when it could cause something else to happen like this morning.

"I trust you."

"I'm gonna go and check on Sophia."

Joe nodded, agreeing with Barry and they moved out of the room and down the hall to find that Cisco and Caitlin were rushing around the room.

"Is everything alright?" Joe called out.

"She's awake," Cisco called out as he came rushing back in with a glass of water in hand that was inches away from overflowing, running into the room and passing it to the nurse who greedily gulped it down in one go. Though she had been given fluids through the IV, she still felt thirsty as ever, and her throat was parched.

At those words Barry ran into the room, not wasting a second as he saw Sophia sitting up in the bed, her eyes open and a smile on her face when she saw him enter. Everyone had then decided to give Barry and Sophia some alone time, leaving the premises to the two youngsters, whilst they gathered in the cortex.

"Hey," She said softly, her voice still feeling a bit hoarse from all the screaming she had done before her heart stopped. All she had remembered was the pain erupting in her chest, and then waking up in the med bay, with Cisco and Caitlin by her side, informing her of what had happened.

"Thank god," Barry breathed out as he moved over, pulling her into a hug. Relief couldn't even begin to describe how he felt at this moment. Guilt was another feeling that plagued him, but he pushed it aside for now, just glad that she was awake.

"Easy, my chest still hurts," She whispered as he held her close, and she lay her head on his shoulder, relaxing as she closed her eyes and breathed in his comforting scent.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," Barry whispered and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

"I don't plan on leaving any time soon," Sophia told him, pulling back and leaning her forehead against his, taking comfort in his touch. He moved quickly, cradling her head in his hands, as he placed a dangerously slow kiss on her lips, savouring the feeling of her there with him. She responded instinctively, her left hand moving up against his chest, her hand slightly scrunching the front of her shirt as their lips danced against each other. She pulled back reluctantly, a sprinkle of blush on her cheeks as she noticed the heavy gaze Barry was giving her.

His heart and mind ached to tell her the truth, to just explain everything, to apologise for putting her life in danger. But he knew better now, and he knew that he couldn't tell anyone the truth, not until this day had past, otherwise he didn't know what else would go wrong.

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked as he moved back, sitting on the edge of her bed, his fingers intertwined with her own. He had quickly explained what had happened, how he found her laying on the floor after hearing her piercing screams, and their struggle to revive her.

"I don't know. It certainly didn't feel like a heart attack Bar," Sophia said softly, looking down at their hands nervously. There was a pit of fear sitting in her stomach since she woke up. She was a nurse, she knew the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. She hadn't experienced any of them before hand, and she knew that with her mother's history of cardiovascular disease, she might have been more prone to an attack, but not at this age, and certainly not at her stage of health, and her accelerated healing.

"What do you mean?"

"It felt like someone was attacking me… like someone had shoved their hand into my chest and ripped my heart out… as insane as that sounds," She confessed to Barry, unsure of what it could mean. "That's just how it felt. But, it-it's silly," Sophia said shaking her head.

Barry tensed up at her words, as he remembered something that the Reverse-Flash had said to Joe those few months ago, and the threat he had given. Barry wondered if something had happened to Sophia back in the previous timeline when he was trying to stop the tidal wave from hitting the city. He couldn't be sure of it anyhow so he diverted his thoughts away from dangerous territory.

"We'll figure it out. Just rest for now," Barry said hesitantly, one hand slowly caressing her face as he placed a firm kiss on her forehead, staying with her as she fell back asleep, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as he lay by her side, holding onto her as though he would never let her go.

* * *

Caitlin had checked up on Sophia a while later, and said that she was fine to go home. All her vital signs had returned to normal, and there was no indication that she would be in the danger zone again, so Sophia let Barry drop her off at her apartment.

Barry was reluctant to leave Sophia there alone, but after much convincing, he left to go meet Cisco at a local bar. The poor guy was having a hard time. He had popped by his parent's place later that day, wanting to at least drop by the crappy present he had bought for Dante off, and got an earful that he should have known was coming… and thus this is how he ended up at a bar in Central City, waiting for Barry to come and have a few drinks with him.

The two of them had sat at the bar for a little while, enjoying the company and drinks until they were approached by a beautiful blonde dressed in black. She had approached them with a sweet one-liner that Barry had shot down, both flattered and embarrassed at the same time, especially considering that she wasn't talking to him… something that had surprised both of them. Barry had then excused himself wishing Cisco good luck as the blonde sat down and had a chat with him.

Barry figured that since he was no longer needed by Cisco's side, he would head back to Sophia's apartment for the night. He knew that she had a lot of questions about what was going on, but he wouldn't be able to tell her anything just yet, not at least until the next 24 hours were up, and there was no risk of altering the timeline even further.

He ran back to her place in no time, opening the door with the key that she had given him, and walked inside. It was silent in the apartment, spare the soft sound of the TV in the background. Chewie scurried over to Barry, nuzzling her head into his foot. He smiled, picking up the cat and stroking its back softly as he walked towards Sophia's bed room. He let Chewie down, the cat running to sit in the small cushion laid out in the corner of the living room as he moved to turn the TV off. Throwing off his shoes, and taking off his jacket, he moved to find that Sophia was soundly asleep on her bed, with one arm underneath her pillow as she lay curled up on her side.

He stared at her for a moment, talking solace in the sight of the rise and fall of her chest. He then moved to her closet, grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that he had left at her place for when he stayed over, quickly changing into them before climbing into bed next to her, and turning off the light. At the drop of weight on the other side of the bed, Sophia registered that Barry had come home, and shuffled, turning around to face him with sleepy eyes.

"Sorry," Barry whispered softly. He hadn't meant to wake her up, and usually he wouldn't considering that she was a heavy sleeper, but he had noticed lately that she seemed more stressed and when she got stressed she couldn't sleep.

"It's alright," Sophia mumbled, moving closer to the warmth that his body radiated, curling up next to him, her hand placed on his chest, and her head nuzzled into the crook of his neck. They both sighed in content at the contact, and relaxed, not speaking another word as they slipped off into the land of dreams, ready to find an escape from the nightmare that they were currently living.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Cisco was having the time of his life talking to the beyond beautiful structural engineer who had been flirting with him for the last two hours. After a few more drinks they decided to move the party back to her place, something he was anticipating.

As they approached the manor, walking inside the grand home, Cisco was speechless as they walked past paintings, statues and even furniture that looked to be worth millions, if not more. _She's smart, hot and rich, did I just win the lottery?_

"Am I being pranked right now?" Cisco asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

"What do you think?" Lisa asked, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I can't believe this. The day started out pretty terrible, but now it's turning out pretty damn good."

"I'll say," Lisa commented, shrugging off her leather jacket, feeling more at home.

"Wow. Look at this. These are _nice_ things," Cisco said pointing to a marble piece that he was sure worth a hell of a lot of money.

"Oh, we're just squatting," Lisa commented casually, as though she was talking to an old friend, and not a hostage that she had just lured into the house that they had broken into for the week.

"We?"

"Yeah, Me and my brother," Lisa announced with a smirk as the one, and the only, Leonard Snart strolled into the room, causing Cisco's face to drop immediately.

"Hello Cisco," Snart greeted, a grin playing on his lips. "What exactly are your intentions with my sister?"

"Oh, come on."

"I should've known better. I am not that lucky," Cisco muttered to himself, both annoyance and fear seeping through his veins at this present moment. "Please don't kill me for kissing your sister," He blurted out, unsure of what Leonard's reaction would be. He didn't seem to be the emotional type, then again, psychopaths never were.

"You kissed him?" Leonard glowered at both Cisco and his younger sister.

"You're not dad, Lenny," Lisa shot back, rolling her eyes at his judgement. Besides Cisco was cute, and there was something about him that she found so very honest, so she didn't mind having to kiss him if that meant that he would follow her back. She much preferred that option over knocking the consciousness out of him, and dragging his body back to the manor.

"I know. Dad's in jail… sterling role model."

"What do you want, Snart?" Cisco asked, cutting them both off and getting to the chase. He knew that he was brought here for a reason, and it was better to find out sooner rather than later, even though in both scenario's he was pretty much screwed considering that he didn't have any back-up or way of getting out of her unharmed.

"Guns. Heat and cold, to be precise," Snart stated. Without the guns, they were just the same thieves they were before, and it made their plans that much harder.

"There's no way I am making weapons for you," Cisco said firmly. "Never again."

Snart's stare didn't waver. He tilted his head to the side slightly calling out Mick's name before straightening up, his hard gaze never leaving Cisco's.

"I know I would do everything in my power to protect my family. The question is, will you?" Mick dragged a bleeding Dante in the room, his arms bound behind his back and his lip split. Dante watched Cisco with wide eyes, wondering what the hell was going on, and why he had just been kidnapped.

"Dante," Cisco breathed out, horror rushing through him as he realised what was about to go down. He knew that he had to make the guns for Snart no matter how hard he wanted to protest, otherwise, they'd kill his brother.

"I'll do it," Cisco said with gritted teeth. No matter how much he disliked his brother, he would always protect him.

"Great, get to work," Snart ordered, motioning for Mick to move Dante over to the table, enjoying the look of horror and guilt on Cisco's face. This plan was going to work out just fine, and even better than he had hoped.

* * *

Sophia woke up still feeling as sluggish and tired as when she had fallen asleep last night. She groaned internally wanting to just savour a few more hours of sleep, but she knew that Caitlin had told her to be up by 9 at the latest, and to come back to Star Labs to get another check-up just to make sure that everything was going fine.

She yawned, and shifted in her spot on the bed, turning over and expecting to see Barry sleeping soundly, when she was met with empty sheets. A frown made its way onto her face as she recalled the previous night. She was sure that he had crawled into bed sometime late last night, and the evidence of his arrival was certainly there with his clothes thrown on the bedroom floor, sitting in a pile at the end of her bed. Before she could question his whereabouts any further, he walked into the room- stumbled more like it- carrying a breakfast tray with him.

Her eyes widened almost comically and she tried to contain her surprise. He had cooked her breakfast in bed.

"It must be my birthday," She mused, her voice still full of sleep. He smiled, his eyes crinkling in laughter as he bought it over, settling it down on her lap once she had sat up.

" _Or_ I just wanted to do something special for once, considering we both have the morning off," Barry said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Thank you," she whispered. The scent of pancakes and coffee filled her senses and she motioned for Barry to sit next to her, and he complied, sliding onto the other side of the bed with ease.

"Well, as delicious as this looks, I can't eat this all to myself," She mused, motioning to the mountain pile of pancakes he had placed on the plate. "Share?"

"Fine."

And so they both sat there, eating pancakes and sipping the hot coffee-well Barry only, Sophia was only allowed non-caffeinated herbal teas according to Dr. Snow, something she hated, but had to live with- finally feeling awake and ready to tackle the day.

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked as Sophia slipped her arms into her coat jacket. After they had finished breakfast, she had gone and taken a shower, and they were both now getting ready to leave home and meet Caitlin at Star Labs. She was sure that since yesterday, "How are you feeling" had been Barry's catchphrase, but every time he said it, her chest filled with warmth.

"Better," She breathed out. She was still feeling a bit jittery and nervous from the day before, and what would happen once Caitlin checked her out. After all, she her heart had basically stopped beating. The thought made her more anxious and her fingers fumbled as she tried to button up her coat, unable to get it in.

"Here, I got it," Barry said, noticing her falter. He took her hands in his moving them down, and doing the buttons up for her.

"Thanks," She said softly, looking down, urging her hands to stop shaking.

"Hey," Barry said, lifting her chin up with his fingers. "Everything's going to be fine, I promise." She nodded and tried to give him a small smile before he lifted her up into his arms and ran them down to Star Labs, where the future awaited.

* * *

"Dante, just keep cool, okay?" It was probably nearing the hundredth time that Cisco had told his brother to calm down, but the older Ramon wasn't having it. After being kidnapped and dragged into this insane world of meta-humans and super-villains he felt like he had the right to freak out, which Cisco admitted that he did, but not right now, and not while he was trying to save them both.

"Let me do my thing, I'll get us out of here."

"Oh, really? And what? You're gonna save us with your mechanical engineering skills?" Dante whispered sarcastically, trying not to draw the attention of Mick who was guarding them.

"Right now, my skills are the only things keeping us alive, so if I were you, I would shut up."

" _You shut up_."

"Ah! There she is, I missed this baby."

"Here it is. All finished. You gonna let us go now?" Cisco asked, passing over the cold gun that he had just finished building.

"You know, I took the first gun you made me apart dozens of times. Learned how it ticked. What went where. You thought you could tamper with the firing pin without me noticing," Snart said as he examined the weapon, flicking a few things around to ensure that it would work. "Nice try, kid." He pressed the button and the gun whirred, humming the familiar noise that he loved oh so very much.

Cisco then rolled his eyes, passing the heat gun over to Mick who looked like a bomb that was just ticking away, seconds away from exploding. He grasped the gun with what could only be described as addiction, stroking the familiar metal and gazing at it with an excitement that had been taken from him when he lost his original.

"Lenny?" Lisa called out, walking into the room, the clack of her heels joining her. "Where's my gun? Girls gotta defend herself. Besides, why should you two have all the fun?"

"My sister needs a weapon. Something that suits her personality," Leonard told Cisco who was ready to rage. Not only did he have to make both of their guns again, he was making a third.

"Make me something pretty, and toxic, like me," Lisa said.

"How about something with… _gold_?"

"Gold," she hummed in agreement, a smirk dancing on her scarlet lips as she thought about the endless possibilities.

Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

"So everything's fine, there's nothing irregular on the scans?" Sophia asked Caitlin, still hesitant with her answer, even after looking at all of the reports and scans herself.

"It's clear. Everything is normal, what happened yesterday must have been some sort of anomaly, because there's no sign that there was even that sort of strain on your heart."

"How is that possible?" Sophia asked.

"I'm not sure, I've been thinking about it all night, trying to piece together what could have happened, and well- nothing."

"Thanks, I guess I should just be thankful that nothing's wrong," Sophia said and Caitlin gave her a smile.

"You're going to be fine."

"That's a relief," Barry said from the door, surprising them both. He had just walked over a minute ago, leaning against the open entry, listening to their conversation quietly. He was relieved to hear that Sophia was a hundred per cent fine, and that nothing else was out of the ordinary.

"By the way, have any of you heard from Cisco? I've been trying him on his cell, but he's not answering," Caitlin asked the couple and they both shook their heads. "Kind of worried about him. He had a rough night."

"Trust me, it got better," Barry said and both girls looked at him, confused as to what he meant. Caitlin then looked to Sophia for an explanation but she just shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what Barry was referring to. Before they could ask him, Barry's phone started ringing.

"Hey Joe, What's up?"

"Yeah, Snart's back."

"Wait, Cold is back?" Barry asked, and this gained both Caitlin and Sophia's attention at the mention of Leonard Snart.

"Yeah, he was spotted at the Santini crime family casino. If he's hitting the Santinis, we could be looking at the beginning of a mob warm," Joe explained, hoping that it didn't come to that, knowing that if it did, there would be a lot of problems on their hands.

"Well, this day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" Barry hung up shortly after telling Joe that he would be at the scene in a minute.

"I'll come with you," Sophia said, standing up from her seat and moving towards the door, but Barry shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I can handle it, you need to rest," Barry said.

"But Caitlin cleared me," Sophia protested. She knew that he would need her help. Snart was sneaky, and she wasn't just about to let him get away, yet again.

"If I need your help, I'll call you, but please, if I can handle it myself I'd rather let you rest," Barry said, trying to convince her. She huffed lightly, and he smiled, placing a chaste kiss on her lips, his hand cradling her head as he did so.

"Promise you'll call if you need help."

"Promise." And with that he ran off to save the day, as per usual.

* * *

Barry ran into the Casino just in time to see the commotion between Snart, and the Santini family, with someone by his side that looked eerily familiar to the girl that was there the previous day at the bar with Cisco, but it was hard to tell with the hood and shades that concealed her face.

"How many times are we gonna go through this, Snart?" Barry shouted at Snart, zooming over and grabbing the gun that the female had just used to freeze someone in gold, and holding her in front of him as a hostage.

"Until the best man wins!" Snart yelled.

"Drop the gun!" Barry said to Snart, hoping that he would listen considering that Barry had his partner caught.

"We both know you're not going to do anything to her. Oh, by the way, meet my baby sister. Lisa, Flash. Flash, Lisa," Snart announced, surprising Barry with the confession.

"Cisco has been very, very busy. Unless you want me to mail small, frozen pieces of him back to his family, I'd take your hands off her." Snart's threat made Barry freeze, and he knew that he only had one option. He had to let Lisa go unharmed, otherwise Cisco wouldn't make it out alive. Reluctantly, he pushed Lisa out of his grip, and she stumbled forward, managing to find her balance in the ridiculously tall high heels she was wearing as she moved to stand by Snart's side, not before making sure to collect her precious new gold gun from The Flash's clutches.

"Let him go, Snart," Barry called out.

"I'll think about it," Snart said, giving The Flash a wink before both Snart siblings left the premises, leaving Barry standing there, anger bubbling up inside as he watched them leave.

Barry had done a quick costume change before arriving on the scene as himself, dragging in his briefcase with all the equipment he needed to get evidence extracted from the site. He was almost finished when Joe walked in, approaching him with a confused expression on his face.

"Barr," Joe called out, grabbing his attention. "Witnesses reported seeing The Flash. They said you had Snart dead to rights but you let him go? Why?" Joe questioned, lowering the tone of his voice should anyone happen to listen into their conversation.

"Cisco," Barry huffed out. "Snart and his sister have him."

"Oh man," Joe said, not expecting to hear that. This was bad news. "Okay."

"Get to Star Labs," Barry told Joe. He would need the whole team there in order to devise a plan to get Cisco back, and stop Snart, who was probably also being accompanied by Heatwave.

"I'll get there when I can."

"Alright." And so Barry ran back to Star Labs, wondering how the hell he was going to break the news about Cisco being taken hostage by Captain Cold and apparently his sister.

When Barry came running back into Star Labs without dragging Leonard Snart's ass behind him, Sophia had a few questions. The first consisted of why he hadn't been able to apprehend Snart-not that she was blaming him, she knew how tricky the bastard could be- but she was sure that she had heard the police chatter correctly, saying that The Flash had Snart wrapped around his finger. The second, was in regards to why Barry looked so bummed out. His facial expressions consisted of a scowl- something that he rarely donned- and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, the whole slow walk down to where the two girls were siting.

"What's wrong?" Were the first words that came out of her mouth.

Barry sighed, as both Sophia and Caitlin watched him with careful eyes.

"Snart has Cisco," Barry said straight out.

"Shit," Sophia cursed under her breath, and Caitlin's reaction was similar.

"What are we going to do?"

"Snart's sister was the girl from the bar that night. If we can grab a visual of some security footage, and get a lead," Barry suggested and they both nodded, eager to find their friend. They all moved, huddling around the computer as Caitlin pulled up the video feed for that night outside the bar.

"So there's Cisco getting into a car with Snart's sister," Caitlin said, trying her best to zoom in on the number plate, but she couldn't see a thing.

"And the license plate is iced over."

"I need to speak to Dr. Wells," Barry announced, and Sophia looked at him, feeling guilty that he was blaming himself for Cisco being taken. It's not like they could have known that this was going to happen.

"He's down in his office, he's been there all morning," Caitlin informed and Barry nodded before leaving.

Sophia looked at Caitlin with worried eyes, and Caitlin let out a heavy sigh in response.

"Too much drama this week," Caitlin grumbled. Between worrying about Ronnie and then Sophia having a heart attack and now Cisco being kidnapped, she was beginning to feel her nerves frying.

"We'll get him back, don't stress. Even if that means I have to go in there guns blazing and all, we'll get Cisco back."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Caitlin said.

" _Honestly_ , I just want to kick Snart's ass," Sophia commented, eliciting a soft laugh from Caitlin.

"Amen sister, Amen."

* * *

Leonard Snart walked back into the lavish manor that he was currently home-sitting, with the intent of enjoying the fact that he could relax, and probably squeeze a bit more juice out of Cisco Ramon, his current hostage.

He had thought about letting him go, he had after-all complied and created the three glorious weapons that powered their criminal careers. But after walking in to see that older Ramon struggling against Mick, and the way that Cisco fussed, he knew that he had something better in mind for the Ramon youngsters.

"I like you kid. You're smart. You pulled yourself up from humble beginnings. You seem like a good brother," Snart said, pursing his lips.

"You too."

"Debatable."

"You answer one question for me. _Well_ \- Two questions. Do that, I'll let you and your brother walk."

"What's the question?" Cisco asked hesitantly, unsure of where this was leading to.

"The Flash, _Sapphire,_ " He said, emphasising the last word, intrigue seeping into his words. "Who are they?"

"I swear, they always wear a mask," Cisco choked out with a panicked voice. He knew that he couldn't tell anyone their identity, let alone a psychotic villain.

Snart rolled his eyes, picking up his gun that was strapped to his side, aiming it at Dante's hand, firing away with an ease that made his blood pump faster at the excitement.

"This is first degree frost bite. Your brother could recover with proper treatment. If not, all his tendons, blood vessels and nerves will freeze. His fingers will need to be amputated," Snart said, his eyes lighting up with mirth. "No more concertos for the Ramon family holidays."

"Please," Cisco pleaded, but Snart stood there, towering over him with not one look of regret of guilt on his face.

"Now tell me, who hides behind the scarlet and sapphire masks?"

* * *

"You were right, this is all my fault," Barry grumbled as the team sat in the cortex, trying to figure out where Snart could be holding Cisco.

Sophia looked over at him quizzically, unsure of what he was referring too. There seemed to be something on his mind all morning, but she had no idea what he was talking about. Dr. Wells just looked over at Barry, giving him a supporting smile.

"Brave heart, Barry. We'll get Cisco back," was all the good Dr. said until the whole team was surprised when the one and only Cisco Ramon walked back into the Cortex.

"I'm back," Cisco breathed out, and Sophia let out a sigh of relief before bounding out of her chair and towards him, pulling him into a tight hug, her grip almost painful. She was so afraid that Snart would have hurt him, and she was so glad to have him back.

"Oh my god." It wasn't a second later that Caitlin was by his side as Sophia released him from her grip, and she was holding him close.

"Are you okay?" Caitlin asked, as her eyes rolled over his form, inspecting his general appearance, glad to see that he wasn't injured, well besides a small bruise on the side of his face, and some swollen wrists.

"We were so worried, what happened?" Sophia asked.

"How did you escape?" Barry asked.

"I didn't," Cisco admitted, causing all of them to look at him in shock.

"Snart just let you go?" Sophia frowned in confusion, something was definitely wrong here.

"Why?"

"He, um, he tortured my brother. And he said he was gonna kill him if I didn't- if I didn't tell him-," Cisco mumbled, the tears springing in his eyes. He couldn't even begin to tell them what happened without feeling the guilt course through his entire being. He had done the one thing that he need to save his brother, but he had put the lives of his two best friends in danger because of it, and for that he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"Tell him what?" Barry asked.

"Who you are. Who The Flash really is, who Sapphire is," Cisco said, leaving everyone in dead silence.

A feeling of panic settled in Sophia's stomach as she replayed the words that Cisco had just said. She didn't blame him, honestly she didn't. But she couldn't even begin to imagine the disaster that was coming their way if Snart decided to let anyone else in on their secret. She gulped nervously before moving closer to Cisco, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a smile.

"I, honestly, they-they could've killed me. But they were gonna kill my brother. I couldn't let him do that," Cisco choked out, tears falling from his eyes and Sophia shook her head, biting her lip.

"Hey, it's fine, we don't blame you," Sophia told him softly, tilting her head back to look at Barry who nodded in agreement.

"I'm so sorry," Cisco continued to apologise and Barry walked up to him shaking his head in protest.

"I put you in that position, I'm the one who's sorry," Barry said and Cisco stiffened up noticeably before turning around to walk out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Sophia called out, unsure of what he was doing.

"I don't deserve to be here. I won't be the one to put you in jeopardy. Not again. Never again," Cisco announced with a strong voice before leaving the room, and his friends standing their broken-hearted and unsure of what to do next.

* * *

"Bad time?"

"Yes, actually."

"Don't worry, I'll be out of here soon," Cisco huffed as he packed some of his personal belongings together. He felt ashamed, embarrassed, guilty… these words were not enough to describe the anguish building up inside of him.

"Well, before you shuffle off forever, may I show you something?" Dr. Wells asked and Cisco reluctantly nodded.

"I get it, I failed," Cisco said as he looked at the capacitator in front of him that was built as a trap for the Reverse Flash, the one that had failed so miserably back at Christmas.

"No, no, no," Dr. Wells protested, shaking his finger in disagreement. "Now, you're an incredibly clever guy, Cisco. So why don't you tell me, why would I bring you down here?"

"Because we all failed that night."

"But we kept going. We kept trying to protect each other, in spite of the setbacks. Making a choice between two people you love, that is the hardest dilemma you will ever face."

"Well, you won't have to worry about me making the wrong decision again."

"All you proved today, Mr. Ramon, is that you're human. All you proved today is that you love your brother. And the reason that we all want you to stay is that we love you too," Dr. Wells said, his speech bringing Cisco out of his dark thoughts and into a more positive light. "Now, I am not a parent, but, in many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son."

Those last words triggered something in Cisco, and everything went a bit hazy for a second before he blinked, his vision returning to normal. Before he could reply and thank the older man for his wise words, Caitlin had called them over the intercom.

"Guys, you should get up here."

"Shall we?" Dr. Wells asked and Cisco nodded as they moved out of the room and up to the cortex.

* * *

"The casino wasn't the target," Sophia announced, excited that they were finally getting somewhere with their hunt for evidence in regards to Snart's real motives for returning to Central City.

"Then why did he do it?"

"Casinos keep tons of cash on hand to cover their markers, not to mention the money that they make. But if they're under attack, the protocol is to relocate the money outside of the casino."

"So that was Snart's plan all along," Barry assumed and Sophia nodded before finishing his sentence. "To trigger the move."

"Okay, where is it now?"

Sophia was on the scene with Barry faster than she had anticipated. Both of them had decided to just face Snart head on, to get to the bottom of it all, rather than involve all the Rogues at once. Besides, the other two side-kicks were busy trying to get their bikes started after both she and Barry caused a little bit of chaos as they tried to rob the casino truck.

As soon as Barry had released Snart on the ground as they arrived at the secluded destination in the bush, Sophia landed a moment later, moving forward and thrusting her fist into Snart's face, her knuckles connecting with his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards.

"That was for hurting my best friend," Sophia practically growled as she brought her knee up, colliding with Snart's stomach shortly after his pounding to the face.

"Appreciate it, love," Snart sneered, spitting out a bit of blood that had collected in his mouth. "Good to see you, Sophia," Snart said before inclining his head in the direction of The Flash. "You too, Barry."

"I know Cisco told you who I am, who, we are," Barry said, glaring at Snart through his mask.

"Can't really blame the kid for giving you up. You two or his brother? Come on! I put him in a tight spot. Same kind I got you in right now," Snart announced with a smug tone. "Can't really stop me now that I know who you are."

"I could speed you to my own private prison where you'll never see the light of day."

"You could, but then I won't be around to stop my own private uplink that'll broadcast both of your identities to the world." Snart smirked as he watched both of their facial expressions drop in a matter of seconds.

"What to do with me now?" Snart posed his question, his eyes drifting from Barry to Sophia, where they stayed. The longer he kept his gaze, the more uncomfortable Barry felt, but Sophia didn't care, and she continued to keep her hard gaze, glaring at him the whole time.

"We won't let you keep stealing whatever you want, whenever you feel like it."

"It needs to end."

"Can't do that," Snart said with pursed lips, shaking his head as though he had thought it through. "It's what I do."

"Then find a new line of work," Sophia threw at him, and he was quick with his reply.

"Joining Central City's medical workforce has a nice ring to it. How does working at the hospital alongside you sound?" Snart asked sarcastically, his words teasing both of the heroes that stood in front of him.

"Snart," Barry's voice was low and Snart knew that it was a warning to back off, and so he did, taking a step back.

"Don't want to, I like what I do," Snart replied, turning his attention back to Barry.

"Why is that?" Barry questioned, crossing his arms.

"The same reason you keep running after guys like me. The adrenaline. The thrill of the chase. I love this game, and I'm very good at it."

"Then go play it somewhere else. Leave Central City."

"Can't do that either. I love it here. This city is my home."

"You've seen what I can do, what _she_ can do. You know that we can stop you. You want to keep pushing your luck, go for it. But from here on out, no one else dies," Barry threatened, stalking forward. "If you're as good as you say you are, you don't have to kill anyone to get what you want." Sophia knew that it was an incredibly inappropriate time to be having these thoughts, but seeing Barry stand there and threaten Snart the way he just did, sent chills down her spine and not in fear. _God dammit, think straight woman_ she berated herself, averting her eyes from her attractive boyfriend, who happened to look fantastic in red leather, making it harder than usual to concentrate.

"That's true."

"And if you, or anyone in your Rogues' gallery goes near any of my friends, or family again, I don't care who you tell my identity to. I'm putting you away."

"I guess your secrets are safe… for now."

Sophia rolled her eyes and mumbled _Drama Queen_ under her breath. She had never met anyone more infuriating than Snart, but she did have to be thankful that he was keeping their secret.

"Oh, I don't suppose you'd give me a ride back to town, would you?"

"I'll take him," Barry huffed out and Sophia nodded, throwing him a smile before glaring at Snart once again, and then shooting up into the sky, flying home, with the hope of meeting up with Barry later.

"What a beauty," Snart commented, a smirk appearing on his face when he noticed Barry's tense expression.

"Let's go." And with that, Barry picked Snart up, and ran them out of there in a flash.

* * *

It was late when Sophia got a call from Barry, and she hadn't expected him to ask her to meet him at his lab in the CCPD building. Regardless, she had said yes and was now walking through the dimly lit halls of the police department that was only housing a few officers working late night shifts as she headed towards Barry's office. She was surprised to see Joe standing there as well when she walked into the room.

"Hey, what's up?" Sophia asked, her eyes drifting back between Barry and Joe, and the board of evidence from Nora Allen's murder.

"Can you close the door?" Was all that Barry said, and she frowned as she walked over, closing the door shut. She then went to stand beside Joe, across from Barry.

"Why did you want to meet up here so late?" Joe asked Barry.

"I think maybe you were right, about Dr. Wells," Barry said to Joe and Sophia recalled a conversation that they had a few days back about some suspicions they had in regards to Dr. Wells and Simon Stagg, wondering if it could have been related to that.

"Which part?" Joe asked.

"All of it."

* * *

 **A / N – DUN. DUN. DUN. So things are starting to come together. Suspicion is up in the air, and this chapter was full of some crazy drama. Please, I beg, leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter. I worked, long and hard on this one and I wanna know your thoughts.**

 **Also, a heads up! I posted a one-shot on my profile titled NEW ROMANTICS, it's an AU about Sophia and Barry, and it's only a short 1-2k, pure fluff. So if you haven't checked it out, go enjoy and leave a review.**

 **Thanks to all the new favourites, follows and reviews! Welcome to the club. Excited that so many of you are enjoying the story.**

 **Replies:**

 **Witchbaby300: That is the sweetest thing. I wanted to make that scene the most dramatic, to me that was the highlight of that chapter. Oh, don't you worry, there is a bit of Barry and Sophia's future that is coming soon! Thanks for the review, excited to see what you have to say about this chapter!**

 **Turtlekier42: I'm so sorry that I made you guys sad! But honestly, it had to happen. Hope this chapter was better, but then again, I did give her a tragic heart attack, so… I just love torturing my characters. She's gone through quite the ordeal. Thanks for the review.**

 **CuteGlasses: That is so cute, I'm so glad that you're loving it. Hope this chapter made your day a bit more brighter. X**

 **Highlander348: Oh, don't you worry. In the future I have planned Sophia to kick Harrison's ass. Barry has never been able to phase through her shields before, but then again, Harrison is much faster, and it just happened to be a combination of her fear, and his ability to move faster that allowed it to happen. Oh, for sure. Once she figures out what went wrong, she's gonna make sure that it never happens again.**

 **Kindleflame5: It was brutal wasn't it… this probably wasn't any better aha. She does! But the Reverse-Flash is just faster than Barry… but don't worry, she's prepared for the next fight. (Plus this was also intentionally done to create drama :P) Glad that you liked it. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one.**

 **LikeLavender: Haha, yeah that was his original line in the show, and I wanted to keep it that way. I thought it was hilarious. Yes. Can't have everything exactly the same. That's why I really wanted to add that extra scene this episode, with Sophia's heart attack and the craze of it all, when in the TV show, Barry was focused on Iris and Eddie. Well, in terms of ability, she can control energy, make shields, force fields or bubbles as I like to call them. She can also electrify her energy… fly… I mean the possibilities are endless really, and I plan on getting her some power upgrades in the future, just like Barry has in S2 where he is able to literally wield lightning. But yeah, hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the review, can't wait to see what you think about this one.**

 **Aditi Upadhyay: Haha, wow, then I probably didn't do very well this chapter considering I gave her a heart attack. Oops. Sorry! YES. SARRY. It's official guys. Sarry is the ship name. Sweet. Yeah, well this was jam packed with them feels, so hope you enjoyed it. I love reading your reviews, they always bring a smile to my face. Hope you stocked up on enough tissues this time round. Thanks again for the review, and can't wait to see what you have to say about the devilish nature of this chapter! x**


	22. The Trickster

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

There was a chill that hung in the air, causing Sophia to shiver even though she wore a thick jumper and jeans, her feet clad in a pair of black boots that were known for keeping her warm and toasty. The doors and windows in the lab were sealed shut, locked even for good measure. What was being discussed was no laughing matter and could not be taken lightly.

Barry had just dropped the proverbial bomb on them.

"All right, this is everything we know about Harrison Wells, which is actually not a lot," Barry explained, feeling slightly defeated as he realised that he really didn't know Harrison Wells at all. All that he knew was that something was up with the Doctor, and he was determined to piece together the puzzle that was Harrison Wells.

"Didn't you read a whole book about him?" Joe asked, unsure of how they had little information in regards to Wells as a person, his life and his career. Joe already knew that Wells was cunning, intelligent and selfish, but he had expected there to be more to the man in the wheelchair.

"Yeah, 600 pages, and the big takeaway is, he's _enigmatic_ ," Barry drawled with an annoyed tone.

"Your mom was killed by a speedster," Joe started off and Sophia caught onto his idea, continuing from where he left off.

"The particle accelerator that Wells built, turned you into a speedster. That can't be a coincidence," She pointed out, and she felt a heavy weight on her chest, her breathing coming out harder as the realisation started to set in. Dr. Harrison Wells was not who he seemed to be… and what he could actually be is their worst nightmare.

"That's _way_ too many coincidences for this old cop," Joe said, causing Barry to groan.

"Do you think that he wanted me to become The Flash?" Barry exhaled.

"Everything he's done since that night you got struck by lightning, bringing you to Star Labs, giving you the suit, training you it's all been to keep you safe," Joe mused, unsure of Wells motives. The whole situation didn't make sense, in fact, it contradicted itself.

"And to make me faster. Wells once said that he needed more speed from me."

"Why? Why would he need more speed?" Sophia asked. "He's in a wheelchair, what could he need with your speed?"

"I don't know."

"But he wants something from you Barry. We just need to figure out what it is," Joe said. His calm tone, and the steadiness of his words put Sophia at ease. They weren't in this alone, they would work together as a team to solve this problem. The fact that Joe was such an experienced Detective, eased her worries a bit more. He was used to solving crimes, and the new experience that Barry and Sophia had with both areas of work, and their abilities made her feel a bit more confident as they spoke of their plans to investigate Wells.

"Well, let's go get him then," Barry said determinedly, walking towards the closed doors. Sophia flew out, standing in front of him, placing her hand on his chest.

"Barr, you can't," She whispered, her gaze meeting his, and in that moment she saw the true fear that lay in his eyes… in his heart, especially if this was all true. She wasn't sure what would happen if they found evidence that pointed to Wells working with the Reverse-Flash, working against them all this time.

"We can't do that now as much as we might want to," Joe advised. If they spoke to soon without enough evidence, they could blow the whole thing up into flames and lose their chance of catching the Reverse Flash, or they could lose a dear friend because of false suspicions.

"You had your suspicions about Wells from the very beginning. You thought that he might be the Man in Yellow," Barry said, moving back to stand where he was before, Sophia by his side.

"Except the blood from your house didn't match him," Joe pointed out.

"And the fact that the man is paralysed from the waist down," Sophia backed up.

"All right, so maybe he's not the Reverse Flash, but you think that he knows what happened that night. He may have the key to getting my dad out of prison," Barry realised, looking down at his hands, ignoring the gazes of sympathy that came his way.

"Whatever Wells wants from you, it started 15 years ago. He's been patient. _Scary_ patient," Joe explained. "You gotta listen to me on this. We have to be just as patient."

"Yeah," Barry breathed out, still not sure if he was happy with the arrangement that they had planned. But he knew that he could trust Joe and Sophia to help him see this through. He just needed to figure out a way to get Cisco and Caitlin on board, which was not going to be an easy task.

"Mind if I have a moment alone with Barry?" Sophia asked Joe, and the older West nodded, saying his goodbye's before leaving the CCPD building, heading home for the night, ready to get some rest.

"I can't begin to imagine what you're going through right now, but I want you to know, that I'm here for you, no matter what happens," Sophia said softly, moving forward and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Whether Wells turns out to be hiding something or not, the rest of us are all here, and we will get justice for your both of your parents." His eyes were on hers in a second flat, and he just stared at her, giving her a small nod before pulling her into his arms, taking solace in her embrace.

"I love you," Barry whispered into her hair, pressing a kiss to her head. He knew that whatever happened next was going to be tough, and he would rather go through it with her by his side than not at all.

* * *

The children's ER at Central City hospital was bustling with patients, coming in and out on a daily basis. But today, was absolute chaos. It reminded Sophia of the night the Particle Accelerator exploded, but a toned down version.

There had been an incident downtown at a park, where a mad man had dropped bombs disguised as care packages, or a treat of sorts. Little kids and their parents were enjoying the beautiful day out when the tragedy hit. She was thankful there were no fatalities, but there were a few kids suffering from shock, smoke inhalation and a spare few that had scrapes and cuts as their families tried to flee from the scene in time to avoid getting hurt. One young girl wasn't as lucky, and had been admitted first that morning with a broken radius and ulna in her right arm, the poor girl having to go into surgery immediately, to set the bones in order for them to heal properly.

The children's wing was smaller than the General ER, and thus, it looked so full when there were only just over fifteen patients admitted from the scene of the accident. Most of the TVs in the hospital had been turned onto the news to view the live coverage of the situation, explaining what had happened that morning. The Flash had come to the rescue, moving the civilians out of the way just in time, which had made Sophia sigh in relief.

Her shift would be over in the next hour, and she knew she would be heading straight to Star Labs to investigate the situation further with the team. The news report had shown a video upload from the sick man that had done this. He called himself The Trickster, and even though he didn't appear to be a meta-human, Sophia knew that it would be a job for The Flash and Sapphire.

She was just finishing up checking the vital signs of a seven year old boy named Henry who had suffered from an acute bout of asthma after the events. Mostly caused by a panic attack from the shock of the attack. He was breathing normal now, no signs of any irregular patterns, and his sp02 levels were at 99%, and within the normal range, setting her at ease. She explained the situation to his father who was sitting by his bed-side and informed him that Henry's condition had normalised, and he was fine to check-out from the hospital, as the doctor had come to check on him earlier, and there were no signs of any other injuries or ailments. She told him that if anything went wrong later in the day that he should bring him back straight away, but it looked like he was going to be fine. At the good news, Henry's father visibly sighed in relief, a smile on his face as he realised his child was safe, and out of danger.

"Thank you so much," Henry's father praised. He was so worried about his little boy. First this morning The Flash had saved them, and now this nurse had helped his son. He was so grateful that there were people in the world who worked to help each other on a daily basis.

"I'm just doing my job. But I appreciate it. Take care," Sophia said with a smile, waving goodbye as Henry and his father left the wing, excited and relieved to go home after a hectic day. Sophia pulled off the blue gloves, tossing them in the trash as she left the empty bed-side and moved to pump some alcohol rub in her hands, washing them on the go. She moved to the nurse's station in the corner of the ward, grabbing some files that she needed to complete.

Just as Sophia was filling out some documentation, and paperwork, ready to move onto her next patient for the day, she heard someone call her name, a voice that she hadn't heard for weeks, but had decided to come back to torture her once more.

"Sophia," Brian's monotone voice came calling down the hall, sending Sophia running down the opposite side with wide eyes as she tried to avoid him. He had pestered her the night before, asking for her to attend a course with a group of nurses, down in Starling City, in a few weeks, but she had declined, knowing that she needed to be here in Central City with the Reverse-Flash on the loose, and all the suspicion surrounding Dr. Wells, but the man didn't seem to take no for an answer.

"Why today, why?!" She groaned out loud, her co-worker Amy laughing as she watched her desperately trying to hide as she ran down the halls of the ER and into the lunch room.

Brian had eventually found Sophia, and since she had again declined going to the conference course in Starling City, he had managed to rope her into working another shift that day. She had planned to head back to star-labs for an hour, and then go back to work for another four hour shift, until the night nurse arrived in the late afternoon.

Amy had laughed at her- teasingly of course- but then stopped when Brian turned around and told her that she had to stay as well. So both of them were stuck working another shift in their sleep deprived states, relying on one another to keep them awake, and focused on their work. Sophia was at least thankful for the new comfortable sneakers that were on her feet, leaving her feeling light as she stood on her toes all day, instead of her old pair that felt like she was wearing a pair of bricks. She reminded herself to thank Iris again for the gift.

"I'm going to head back home for a quick bite, call to remind me to be back in time for the shift?" Sophia asked Amy, and the red head nodded, with a smile.

"Will do kiddo," Amy promised.

"You're like one year older than me." Sophia rolled her eyes, as she rifled her hand through her bag, searching through the sea of unnecessary objects as she tried to find her keys.

"Yeah and that justifies the term _kiddo_ ," Amy teased, waving goodbye as Sophia headed to her car.

Sophia knew that she could fly down to Star Labs in no time, but she had to keep up a façade of being normal, and thus she had to drive her car when she left as to keep the suspicions away.

* * *

"So what did I miss?" Sophia asked as she flew into the cortex, landing right next to Barry. Her eyes met his in an instance, and even though they didn't say any words to each other directly, their eyes spoke wonders. She asked if he was alright, and he told her that he was holding on… but barely. His hand made its way into hers, his fingers gripping onto her own as though she were his lifeline.

"A new psycho in town, he likes to talk in the third person. That's never a good sign," Cisco replied, as he pulled up some files on The Trickster.

"You're just mad because he named himself," Caitlin pointed out, and Joe shook his head.

"Actually he didn't. Years ago, Central City was hit by a series of terrorist attacks. One man killed at least ten civilians, two cops. That guy called himself The Trickster," Joe explained with a grimace. He remembered the events like it was just yesterday.

"Woah, someone was rocking the unitard," Cisco commented as they brought up a picture of the original Trickster back in the day.

"James Jesse?"

"Like Jesse James, only more twisted."

"Where is this Mr. Jesse now?" Dr. Wells asked, his voice perking up for the first time in this conversation. Sophia could feel Barry's body go stiff, his hand rigid in her own, tensing up at Dr. Wells. She knew that he was still sensitive because of what happened last night, even though they didn't have any proof at this point in time. She was as well, but she needed to maintain the façade, otherwise they'd lose any chance at solving it. She rubbed the pad of her thumb lightly on the back of Barry's hand, in a soothing motion that seemed to calm him down a bit.

"He's serving several life sentences at Iron Heights," Joe said. "He was just about the most dangerous thing Central City had ever seen."

"You mean until the Particle Accelerator blew up," Barry commented, his tone of voice accusing and disconcerting at the very least, sending Joe into panic that Barry would confront Wells.

"Um, Barry and I will go see this James Jesse at Iron Heights, see if he can give us something that can help us catch this groupie," Joe said, and Barry walked out of the room before he could finish his sentence. Sophia looked at Joe, before following Barry out of the room, catching him in the quiet hallway as he paced back and forth.

"Barry."

"I can't do it. I can't be in the same room as him knowing that he had something to do with her death. I just- _I can't_."

"I know, but," She paused mid-way, trying to think of the words, but she knew in her heart that it was wrong to force him to have anything to do with Wells considering the circumstances of the situation. "It's something that has to be done, no matter how much we both hate it. But I'm by your side," She reaffirmed, moving closer, placing one hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest.

"And I love you even more for that, but I can't be in there right now. I need-," Barry ranted, Sophia cutting him off.

"Space. I know. Go with Joe, I'll keep you updated when I can," Sophia told him, and he nodded, placing a firm kiss on her lips, breathing her in desperately, as though she was oxygen, and he was aching to breathe. They broke apart moments later, cheeks flushed, and their faces hot, but small smiles of contentment and trust on their faces.

"I love you, remember that," Sophia told him firmly.

"I will."

Joe had then walked towards them, both men leaving to go and find out more information by investigating down at Iron Heights. Sophia walked back into the cortex, taking a moment to calm her nerves as she pretended that everything was normal, and tried her very best to ignore the fact that the man who sat in the wheelchair, only meters away, was hiding something detrimental to their entire wellbeing and existence, and they weren't sure if they could trust him or not.

"I'll analyse the video and see if I can figure out the source," Cisco told Caitlin as she moved out of the room, getting on with her own work. Sophia took her seat next to Cisco, opening up a few files on The Trickster, eager to learn as much about what happened as she could before she needed to head back to work.

"Hey, Soph. Is Barry doing alright? He seems cranky," Cisco asked, pointing out the sour mood that Barry was emanating that morning.

"Even The Flash wakes up on the wrong side of the bed some mornings," She said lamely, the lie flowing off her tongue not as well as she expected, causing Cisco to look at her with suspicious eyes.

"Ah, I get it. Trouble in paradise?" Cisco teased, nudging her chair with his foot, causing her to roll her eyes.

"We're fine, Cisco. He's just tired is all," Sophia said, hoping this time that the delivery of her words were more convincing.

"Whatever you say Princess," Cisco said, pushing the conversation aside.

"Want to give me the down low of this morning's exciting events?"

"It'd be my pleasure," Cisco remarked sarcastically.

"Pleasure, _my ass_ ," Sophia scoffed and Cisco threw her a grin, as he spun her chair around and they got to work.

* * *

"Never seen this part of the prison before," Barry commented, not recognising the area that they had now ventured into. It seemed darker and colder than the rest of the prison, and Barry wasn't eager to discover the true reason behind it.

"Yeah, I had to have this cell specially built for James Jesse about five years ago," Joe filled Barry in.

Barry followed Joe's footsteps as they walked throughout the dimly lit halls of Iron Heights, heading towards the door at the end of the hall, that had apparently a large room, only catered for the one and only Trickster, James Jesse.

"Why is that?"

"A criminal psychologist set up weekly visits with him," Joe explained, a grimace appearing on his face as he re-told the horrifying story. "James talked the shrink into committing suicide."

" _Oh_ ," Barry said dumbfounded. That was certainly not something he saw coming. But it didn't frighten him at all, like it may have in the past- instead, it intrigued him.

James Jesse was a notorious villain, human at that, but he was still more dangerous than a lot of players they had faced. Joe wasn't willing to take any risks, and he knew what would get James to talk… that was a combination of red liquorice, and… drama. So there he was, with the liquorice in a brown paper bag in one hand, and the story of the Trickster on his lips, ready to tell the tale of what happened.

Both Joe and Barry flashed their CCPD identification cards at the guard standing by the entry to the room. The guard nodded, acknowledging their clearance, and opened the door, the buzzer going off as they moved forward into the room.

As soon as Barry stepped foot into the room, he noticed the difference in lighting immediately. It was much brighter inside, by in James cell, the lighting was poor. James had perked up quickly at the sign of guests, enjoying each moment as he watched the two men approach, coming closer.

"Gentlemen," James greeted, his tone eerie and cheerful at the same time. "Please, be seated."

"I'm Detective Joe West," Joe informed James as he sat down. "This is Barry Allen."

"Uh, we'd like to ask you a few questions," Barry pipped in and James, leaned back in his chair as though he was contemplating the request.

"Mmm," James hummed, addressing the more important matter. "I can smell them in your pocket."

Joe rolled his eyes lightly, standing up and placing the treat in the metal container that connected to the inside of James cell, the criminal grabbing onto the sweet with glee.

"Yesterday, hundreds of these parachute bombs were released throughout Central City."

"Huh. Fun idea, but not an effective delivery system," James mused. "How many died?" He inquired, a bit too enthusiastically.

"No one, luckily."

"You know, when I was free and at my height, a day without casualties was well, like the Cubs winning the pennant. It just never happened," The original Trickster gloated, an uncanny grin on his lips as he thought back to his glory days.

"The explosives they found in all the parachute bombs had the same explosive composition as the bombs you set of 20 years ago," Barry informed James, and this information seemed to catch his attention as his sharp gaze focused in on him.

"That's impossible," James breathed out, his eyes widening by the second. "I never told anyone that formula."

"The signatures are an exact match," Barry disputed. They ran multiple tests just to be sure, and it was exactly the same, not a single difference in technique or formula.

"He called himself The Trickster too, just like you," Joe taunted lightly, knowing the more he pushed, the more that James would talk.

"He is nothing like me, Detective," James said in a dangerously low voice. "Nothing!"

"Do you know who he is?" Barry asked, trying to get this conversation to move somewhere with a bit more valuable information.

" _Oh_. If I did, I would tell you, so you could find him, cut off his head, and throw it right in his face. No, this is obviously the work of a rank amateur at best. A mere pretender angling for my throne," James spat out, disgusted that someone had taken his name, his place. Well, at least that's how it appeared to Barry and Joe.

"I hear you. So help us catch him. Prove there's only one Trickster," Joe said.

"Trying to trick The Trickster, Joseph, hmm?" James asked, chuckling along as he did so. "No. There's only one way this could happen. Whoever he is, he must have found my lair. I ask only one thing, when you find this schtick stealer, this gimmick grabber, this pathetic wannabe, fake, make sure you're safety's off."

* * *

The two had gone to investigate the secret hide-out of James Jesse only to find that most of the valuable items he had kept there had been stole, or were missing. Then they had been surprised by a bomb that had gone off as they tried to check things out further. Barry had sped both himself and Joe out of there just in time, getting them just outside as the building went up in flames.

The whole ride back to Iron Heights was tense, and they both felt that James Jesse knew more than he was letting on. He had to have known that there was a bomb waiting for them, yet he sent them down there to check things out. Either he was protecting the new version of The Trickster, or he was just a psychopath.

"What? No candy, fellas?" James Jesse asked teasingly as he lounged in his cell, watching the two frustrated law enforcement officers waltz into the room.

"The storage space you sent us to was booby-trapped."

"You can never be too careful with your private things," James chuckled.

"You were protecting nothing. Your secret stash was empty," Barry threw at James.

"What do you mean?" James asked, standing up and moving closer to the glass.

"No firearms, none of your explosives, nothing. Whatever you had in there, it was stolen, all of it."

"No," James breathed out, the realisation setting in, rage encompassing his thoughts in an instance. "He's stealing my legacy. Whoever this is, you need to find him! I will not let this-."

"Trickster?" Joe finished for him, a smirk on his face.

"That is my name! Mine!" James bellowed out, his voice loud and clear.

"What were you keeping there?" Barry asked.

"A bomb. A really big bomb."

"How big?" Joe questioned, his eyes narrowing at James.

"Bye-bye, Central City," James revealed, using hand gestures to give an image of how large the bomb was. If this thing went off, the whole city would be decimated.

Barry's phone rang a second later, and he picked it up, seeing Cisco's name pop up on screen.

"Cisco," he answered.

" _Yo_ , this Trickster guy just posted a vlog. You gotta see this. I'm sending you the link right now," Cisco told Barry, sending him a link to the video. As soon as they had got it they all knew that it was only a matter of time before shit hit the fan.

"Okay."

Barry opened the video, watching the Trickster stand in a similar position and place as his first one, his eyes glaring at the screen as the man continued to speak and taunt their city.

"Citizens of Central City, or those of you who remain, welcome to _Boom Day_. I'm very proud to report that my first trick was an exploding success."

"Show him," Joe said, motioning to the phone. Barry moved forward pressing the phone against the screen so that James could see.

"But I think you all deserve something much, uh, _bigger._ "

"No, no, no, no, no!" James muttered out.

"So for my next trick-…"

"Take off my mask, you fraud!" James yelled at the phone, spit flying as his words flew out.

"Keep your eyes glued-…" The Trickster continued, being cut off by James.

"Pretender! Sham! Take of my mask! Take off my mask! Take off my mask!" James bellowed, his anger exploding as he banged his fists violently on the barrier that kept him locked in his cage.

* * *

"This was posted a few hours ago," Dr. Wells informed the team. "Whoever this Trickster is, he's certainly not shy."

"Well, not every criminal likes to hide in the dark," Barry commented, earning a shove from Sophia at his hidden jab. She had just managed to get back to Star Labs after her extra shift, only to find that the infamous Trickster had posted another vlog, discussing his plans to blow up their beloved city.

"Cisco, can you trace where the video was posted from?" Sophia asked, trying to change the conversation.

"I tried, but this guy is using some crazy Felicity-calibre scrambler like I've never seen," Cisco said with a heavy sigh, disappointed in himself that he wasn't able to even get a location on a certain area in the city. "The origin of the upload's coming from hundreds of different locations. Until he uploads another video, it's gonna be tough."

"This psychopath has the capability to destroy the city," Barry said, looking at Cisco with an exasperated expression. They needed to find him, one way or another.

"Hey, I said tough, not impossible."

"Barry, we'll catch him. We always do," Caitlin tried to reassure as she noticed his tense behaviour.

"Mr. Allen, a word please?" Dr. Wells asked, and Barry reluctantly looked over, and nodded his head, following the man into another room. He knew that he had to keep up this façade, he couldn't let Dr. Wells know that he knew something was up.

"I know what's going on with you. I know what you're thinking," Dr. Wells said and for a second Barry froze, before standing up straighter and tilting his head the slightest.

"Do you?" He asked, curious as to what Well's answer would be. Maybe if he admitted to what was going on, then they would get things out in the open for once, maybe they would be able to sort this mess out once and for all. But Barry knew deep down that this would never happen. Wells would never admit to it, not after all this time.

"I know going up to Iron Heights prison and conversing with Mr. Jesse has brought about feelings of your father. How could it not?"

"Yeah, no, it's, uh, it's been really tough knowing that my mom's killer is still out there," Barry said, his eyes narrowing the slightest bit as he stared at Dr. Wells. He played Sophia's words over and over in her head, praying that it would keep him calm enough to get through this. He wanted to scream and shout at Wells. To grab him by the shoulders and yell at him. To ask him why…why, oh, why did he do it?

"Of course. But we'll find him together. You have my word."

"Thank you." Those two words never felt more wrong as they tumbled off his lips in that very moment. He felt sick to his core.

"For now, how about we focus on finding this Trickster before anyone else gets hurt?"

"I have to go. But thanks for the pep talk." _No thanks._

"I'm always here for you." _Liar._

* * *

Sophia caught a glimpse of Barry as he left the room after talking privately with Dr. Wells. He shot her a quick text, saying that Iris had called The Flash about something important, and so he was headed over to the rooftop of Jitters.

This left Sophia with nothing to do at Star Labs but wait, hoping that The Trickster would slip up soon, giving them a lead into his location, or even what he had planned next. But this also left a lot of room for her to think. Think about the situation they were currently stuck in. Think about the safety of her family, her friends, herself.

Her thoughts wandered to her father. She had spoken to him a few days ago. In fact, she had actually flown down to Kansas to see him in person. She wasn't going to waste money on a plane ticket when she could do the exact same, but at a faster rate. It only took her about twenty minutes, but she made it there faster than the 7 hour flight would have taken. She had turned up on the doorstep of her old house and had surprised him… and for the first time since she got her abilities, she was honest with him. She explained everything in detail, from the particle accelerator explosion up until now. She had showed him her powers, spoke of how she worked with an amazing team, and that she worked with The Flash- though she didn't mention that it was her boyfriend Barry Allen, because that was his secret to tell who he wanted- and how rewarding it felt to save people. Her father was shocked at first, but once the news started to settle in, he couldn't have been more proud of his daughter. He knew that she was the type of person to put everything she had into her work, and he knew that with all her heart and power she would do a great job of protecting the people of Central City. He told her that her mother would have been proud of her as well, and that's when she burst into tears. It was one of the first moments that she had felt relief, and not anxious about everything that was going on. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that she had been honest with her father. But he made her promise that she would try and keep herself out of danger, and that she would come and visit more often since money and time weren't the issue anymore in regards to her travel circumstances.

The more Sophia thought back to that day- to her father, the more she yearned to discover the truth. She wanted to protect her family, and the only way to do that was to know thy enemy. And she wasn't sure if Wells was the enemy or not. But she knew she would get to the bottom of it.

While Cisco was distracted with the algorithm he was running on the computer to pinpoint the location of The Trickster's last whereabouts, she logged onto the computer, searching through the security footage of Star Labs. If something was going on with Wells, then she was bound to find it in the cameras. She opened up some recent footage, a few different screens open, showing different locations around the labs, sped up to see if there was any unusual movement from the doctor. All that she could see was that he went down a certain hallway, each day at 7pm- except for when there were emergency situations that needed to be tended too. Otherwise he had moved down the same hall, every day, at the same time, without fail. She had been examining the footage for at least an hour now, and there was something suspicious about this behaviour. She tried to open up the camera for that hallway that he rolled down, but nothing came up. The feed from that camera had been re-routed to another hall, and thus showed nothing. Just as she was about to investigate further, Cisco yelled, frightening Sophia who quickly exited the screen she was looking at, in fear that he had seen her.

"Guys! He just uploaded another vlog. This is not good," Cisco called out, gaining everyone's attention. After watching the video, they now knew that there was a bomb out there in the City, waiting to go off.

"Guys, I can't find it. I need your help," Barry's voice rang out through the com. Sophia dashed in an instance, running to change into her suit, ready to head out and help Barry hunt down the device. She placed her com into her ear, pressing the button down, and their conversation coming through to her as well now that she was on the move, ready to fly out in any direction that they needed her.

"I re-tasked the Star Labs Satellite to scan the area for incendiary devices. A bomb that large should be giving off some kind of thermal or chemical signature," Cisco said.

"Well, then why can't you find it?"

"Because, it's a trick. The bombs not there."

"No, it has to be."

"I'm gonna keep looking."

"That is what he wants, for you and the police to keep running around in circles. There is something else going on, Barry. I can feel it. Now, trust me," Dr. Wells said with a strained voice.

"I'm gonna keep looking," Barry said, ignoring Dr. Wells advice.

"Barry?" Dr. Wells called out through the mic, sighing in defeat as Barry ignored him again.

"Why doesn't he just listen to you?" Caitlin asked.

"I found it."

"Uh-oh, there's an explosion at Iron Heights."

"This was all a diversion. The prison was the real target," Sophia said, looking at the news feed that had just come up on the air. It was a helicopter view of the prison, large waves of smoke billowing off the building.

"James Jesse. I guess he tricked us all."

* * *

It was later that they received the news from Joe that James Jesse and the newest Trickster on the block had taken Henry Allen as their hostage. This not only sent Barry into a rage of fury, but he could feel his hope dwindling down a long drain of darkness.

Nothing had been going right for them today.

Sophia had rushed over to Barry's side as soon as she heard the news. She had thrown her arms around him, holding him tight, whispering reassurances. This wasn't the first time that his father had been placed in danger, and she knew how precious his dad was too him. She promised him that they would both get him out of there, safe and unharmed. It took a little while for Barry to calm his nerves before they both set off again, determined to catch both James Jesse and his protégé who they had discovered was a man by the name of Alex Walker, 25 years of age, the same as the two youngsters.

Just as they stood in the cortex, asking Cisco for any updates, Joe's phone rang, and Iris was on the line.

"Hey, baby," Joe greeted, listening in, but he couldn't hear anything. "Iris?"

"How many of you feel the Trimethyline 32 coursing through your veins, hmm?" James Jesse's voice came out through the phone, shocking everyone in the room.

"That's him, that's Jesse," Barry said.

"Cisco, can you ping her phone?"

"I'm on it," Cisco said, trying to get the location.

Sophia had then jumped down in a seat, typing away on the computer to look up what Trimethyline 32 was, and if there was a way to reverse the effects, because it sounded like most of the people around Iris had been exposed to the chemical.

"Trimethylmercury 32 is a relatively fast-acting poison," Sophia announced out loud. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Is there a cure?" Joe asked, worried that Iris had ingested it as well.

"Yes. We can start synthesizing the antidote right now," Dr. Wells announced, as he looked over the data that Sophia had thrown up on screen. Both Caitlin and he, moved out of the room, getting the equipment and chemicals they needed to reverse the effects of the position.

"Cisco, where is she?" Barry asked in an urgent tone.

"City Hall. The mayor's having a fund-raiser there tonight."

"Barry, Sophia, do not underestimate The Trickster," Dr. Wells warned. They had done it once before, and he was sure that James Jesse had a few more tricks left up his sleeve.

"Don't worry, we won't," Sophia reassured the team before suiting up and leaving the premises.

In a flurry of movements, Sophia had flown down, crashing through City Hall's doors, and landing in front of the younger Trickster, throwing a pulse of energy at him, knocking him down as Barry dealt with James Jesse.

"Where's Henry Allen?" Barry asked James as he held him up by his shirt threateningly.

"He's where you'll be soon. _Heaven_!" James cried out with laughter, pulling out a metal clamp from his pocket and latching it onto the wrist of The Flash, catching him by surprise.

"Are you familiar with the movie _Speed?_ Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock? See, you're the bus, and that's the bomb. A kinetic bomb, actually, and if you go below 600 miles per hour, it'll explode. Same thing happens if you try to remove it. _Ooh_ , it's active. Run, run, run, run!" James laughed wildly as Barry looked to Sophia with wide eyes before zooming out of there as he heard the loud beeping noise and saw the frantic red lights.

Sophia, being preoccupied by witnessing what had gone on with Barry, she hadn't had time to realise that Alex had gotten back up off the ground from behind her, and he had attached some sort of metal cuff around her neck. Iris watched in panic as she saw her two idols, the two super-heroes of Central City, out witted by the Trickster. They had walked straight into a trap.

As soon as the metal cuff had touched Sophia's skin, she elbowed Alex in the chest, and turned around, roundhouse kicking him in the stomach, leaving him winded enough for her to get a good hit in, sending him spiralling into a fit of unconsciousness as his head banged against the podium. She desperately grasped at the metal around her neck in panic, fearing that it was a device similar to the one that had just been placed on Barry's wrist. Though her fingers clawed at the device and she tried to use her energy to remove it, the metal was stuck and it wasn't going anywhere.

"Oh, and don't think we forgot about you sweetheart. I've been _dying_ to meet you, I've always had a fascination with flying. I blew up a plane once. It's beautiful to see it take off, even greater to watch the fall. So spread your wings, and move that tush, because if you don't leave the Earth's atmosphere in the next five minutes, that metal neck brace of yours goes _ka-boom_." James eyes were wide with mirth and a proud grin was displayed on his lips as he thought about the very scene of her dying before his eyes.

Sophia turned around, looking at the room of panicked guests, and felt the guilt course through her. If she had just been a little bit more careful, a bit more on guard, this wouldn't have happened. She spotted Iris in the crowd, and clenched her jaw when she saw that her friend was still stuck in this situation, and she wasn't able to help just yet. She flew out of the doors of City Hall so fast, that the rush of air that was left behind as a result, had such a great force that it sent some drunk guests wobbling and flying to the ground when they lost balance in their high heels.

She could hear the panic on the comm. as the team tried to talk Barry through getting rid of the bomb on his wrist. She kept moving, gaining momentum and speed as her body shot through the air, gliding up faster than ever. Sophia listened carefully to Dr. Well's words as he spoke with Barry, the guidance coming to her as well.

"Breathe. Feel the air. Feel the wind on your face…" and Sophia focused, on the sky, on the Earth, on everything around her as she flew higher and higher. It was a moment later that she heard a cheer of victory on the line, indicating that Barry had effectively phased the device off, and now their attention was on Sophia as Barry ran to inject the rest of the guests with the antidote, and capture James Jesse, after all, Sophia had taken care of Alex already.

"Guys, I've never flown this high before, what if I can't make it in time?" Sophia asked through the comm. anxiously.

"You're doing fine. Keep going. You should be able to just escape Earth's atmosphere, and the device will be rendered inactive due to the reduced pressure and temperature," Dr. Wells advised.

"What about the part where there's no oxygen outside our atmosphere?" Sophia asked sarcastically, her throat tightening with fear.

"If you create an energy bubble around you, it'll allow you to breath long enough til you get back down," Cisco suggested.

"But that will take energy, which will reduce my speed. I won't make it there in time," Sophia cried out in frustration.

"30 seconds," Cisco said, reminding everyone of the countdown, and the constant beeping noise they could hear coming from Sophia's side.

"I can't do this," She said through gritted teeth as she stretched herself further. She could see it up ahead, she was nearly there, but she didn't know if she would make it in time. She could feel the tears of frustration welling up.

"Sophia, I believe in you. You've achieved incredible things, I know you. You can do this, just focus." Barry's voice travelled through the comm. With heavy breathing, and a leap of faith she held onto Barry's words as she focused her mind, her eyes glowing cobalt as she zipped through the air, faster than before, shooting through Earth's atmosphere.

As soon as she passed through she heard a clicking noise, and the metal clamp around her neck released, and fell off her body, falling through the air. She stopped her flight, and with a sigh of relief, slowly fell backwards, her body descending through the air, and back down to Earth.

For the millisecond that she was up there, she couldn't help but admire the beauty that was their solar system. The dark, expanse that was space, was absolutely stunning. The silver dot that shone before her eyes, constellations and stars that she could have never seen so perfectly from down below were now so visibly clear now that she had a front row seat.

Her vision went fuzzy for a moment as she descended backwards, and when she felt the wind rushing violently through her hair, she knew that she had to focus otherwise she'd just crash and burn. Being up there for so long had diminished her energy. She pushed herself, and eventually she found her rhythm again, and flew back in the direction of Star Labs, slowly as not to exert any more of her energy. She had noticed that her comm. wasn't working anymore, and neither were the location trackers that were fitted into her suit. She had a small pad on her wrist, that wasn't functioning, and she figured that it had either malfunctioned when she left Earth's atmosphere, or it had just blown its power due to the freezing temperatures. She knew that because she hadn't gone far it wasn't that bad, but if she had travelled further up and out of the various layers and actually into space, she wouldn't have survived as temperatures there were above absolute zero- even colder than Captain Colds, cold gun.

She shook her head of those thoughts, and focused on flying back to Star Labs. It had been one hell of a week, and she was just ready to crash in her bed.

* * *

Barry was pacing the halls of Star Labs as the team waited in desperation and silence for Sophia to return. Once she had hit the outer atmosphere, their visual on her- even if it was a little dot on a screen- was gone, wiped from existence.

He knew- as they all did- that there was a logical explanation for it. That the freezing temperatures, the air pressure, the fact that it was space, and this sort of technology wasn't built for that, would mean that it would most likely malfunction or stop working. But these facts, didn't seem to ease the anxiety that was bubbling up in his chest at this very moment. He had the utmost faith and belief in his girlfriend. He knew the kind of person she was, how strong she was. But he was worried that maybe she hadn't been fast enough, or that something else had gone wrong up there, and even with all the power in the world, he was stuck down on earth, unable to reach her from above.

"Barry, stop pacing, she'll be fine," Dr. Wells scolded, and not because Barry was just pacing, but because he was actually speeding around the room, and the noise was a distraction that they didn't need.

"What if she isn't?" Barry threw at Dr. Wells, his tone coming out bitter towards the older man. He found that it was hard to keep a neutral expression now that he looked at Dr. Wells in a different light. He noticed something about the way that he had described running, the way he had instructed Barry when he phased, something that Wells could have only known if he himself were a speedster, and this set Barry off for a mile. He knew that later tonight he would confide in Joe and Sophia. But he also knew that he would have to tell Caitlin and Cisco at some point. If it was true, then they were all in danger.

Barry as ripped out of his dark thoughts when Sophia walked into the cortex, holding her mask in hand, and pulling the broken comm. out of her ear.

"I'm alright," She announced with a tired voice, and in a second Barry had scooped her up in his arms, holding her tight against his chest, causing her to gasp in surprise. "Ah, Bar, a bit too tight."

"Sorry," He mumbled. "I'm so glad you're okay," He exhaled, brushing a piece of her hair away from her face. Her lips stretched into a soft smile as she gazed at him, thankful for having him in her life. He didn't waste a second in capturing her lips in his own, scared that he might have lost her tonight. They broke their embrace reluctantly, knowing that there were other people in the room.

Caitlin and Cisco both walked over at the same time, pulling her into a group hug. After they moved apart, it was Cisco who spoke first.

"So are we not going to mention the fact that you flew into space?"

"Yeah, that was… insane," Sophia said, laughing as a tear escaped her eye, wiping it away so quick that Barry was the only one in the room to notice it had been there in the first place.

"Well, we are all relieved that you made it back in one piece," Dr. Wells said. "I think it's time we call it a night. We accomplished some great things tonight, I want you to all remember that."

"Goodnight Dr. Wells," Caitlin greeted, and he nodded, before rolling out of the room.

"So I think it's time to head home, don't you?" Sophia asked Barry and he nodded, eager to get out of Star Labs. But before they could leave, Caitlin protested, standing in front of them both and waving her hand around.

"You're not going anywhere until you get checked out," Caitlin ordered and Sophia sighed, nodding as she walked over to the med bay.

"And I'll get working on fixing up your comm. and the rest of your suit. A simple factory reset should do the trick," Cisco announced.

"So what happened with twins, dumb and dumber?" Sophia asked, her words coming out muffled as Caitlin stuck a thermometer underneath her tongue in an attempt to take her temperature.

"Thanks to you taking out Alex, it was easy to apprehend James. They're both sitting in Iron Heights right now, and my Dad's back at Joe's place."

"You didn't take him back yet?" She asked in a soft voice. She knew how sensitive the topic was, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the war waging inside of him. It would be so easy to send his dad away, hide him. But she knew that Barry wanted to do things the right way.

"Tomorrow," He replied giving her a small smile.

"What if we bring him here in the morning? I'm sure he'd love to see everything around here, get to know what you've been up," Sophia suggested, and Barry nodded, liking the idea.

"Sounds good."

Caitlin had then walked back into the room with some results on her tablet.

"So Dr. Snow, am I all good to go?"

"Yeah," Caitlin said, looking back down at the readings. "Plenty of fluids, and make sure to get a lot of rest. You need it."

"Thanks Cait."

Barry had dropped Sophia back to her apartment, only staying for a little while even though he desperately wanted to stay the night. His father was at Joe's place, and he knew that he had to spend time with him before he went back to prison. Sophia understood this, and kissed him long and hard as they bid each other goodnight, telling him to come pick her up in the morning.

* * *

"You always did look good in red," Henry Allen commented as he admired the suit before him. Even though he had been privy to The Flash's true identity for a while now, he still couldn't believe the amazing work that his son did. To top it all off, he had also discovered that morning, that Barry's girlfriend, Sophia, who he had met on various occasions, was also a meta-human as they put it. She was the Sapphire Knight that he had heard whispers about, and had caught a glimpse of on TV when they were all in the main area of the prison. He was surprised to say the least, but he was nothing but proud of them both.

Barry chuckled at his father's words, remembering back to when he had first gotten the suit, and how Sophia had basically drooled over the colouring, but now he knew that it was a combination of the wearer and the suit.

" _Wow_. Half of this stuff didn't even exist when I was practicing," Henry said as he strolled around the cortex with Barry, taking a look at all the new advance technology that had been developed within the last ten to fifteen years. The advancements in such a short time period were astounding and it made him eager to learn more.

"Yeah, well, I'd be happy to give you a crash course on all of it if you get out," Cisco said as he walked up behind the two. He then realised what he had said and cursed himself. "I'm gonna shut up now."

"It's okay," Henry said, chuckling lightly at Cisco's nervousness.

"Henry, it's good to see you," Sophia announced as she walked into the cortex with Caitlin and Joe by her side. Henry smiled brightly when he saw the familiar face, and noted that it was weird to see her in anything but her scrubs, but the casual clothes were a nice change.

"Likewise. I want to thank you again, Sophia," Henry said.

"For what exactly?" She asked with a smile.

"For taking care of my boy," Henry clarified and she blushed at the comment, especially when Barry's eyes found her own.

"Well, he takes care of me as well. It's a mutual thing." Henry laughed at her reply and she pulled him in for a hug. She was sure that he hadn't hugged anyone in a while, and she knew that he deserved it.

"Have you been enjoying the tour?"

"Tremendously. You're all achieving amazing things," Henry praised.

Barry noticed the wide smiles all around, and he couldn't help but think that this was the first time that he had seen his father so happy, since his mother died. And this fact made him happy that he chose to keep his dad 'missing' for just one more day before he was going to return him to Iron Heights.

"What does it feel like when you're running down the street like a bat out of hell?" Henry asked, turning to Barry, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"There's no feeling like it."

"I bet."

"You're all heroes in my book, especially you, Dr. Wells. Thank you for everything that you've done for my son." Barry tensed up at the irony of it all, his jaw clenching the slightest, and Sophia could tell in a second. She leaned over, placing a soft kiss on his jaw, feeling the muscle relax underneath her touch.

"It's okay," She whispered, holding his hand in her own and leaning her head against his shoulder as she watched Henry speak with Wells, hoping that no one noticed Barry's immediate change in behaviour.

"Well, your son is an extraordinary man, Dr. Allen, and I will do everything in my power to ensure Barry's future." _Hypocrite._ Sophia thought to herself as she planted a fake smile on her lips, wondering when the hell they would get a break from the nightmare they were living.

* * *

Just when Sophia thought that all the drama for the week was over, she got a call from Joe, calling her and Barry to the station.

"Hey, Joe, what's up?" Sophia asked, as she walked into Barry's lab.

"Iris, she's asking questions about Mason Bridge, and we all know that the Reverse Flash is involved. We need to come up with a plan to keep her safe. I think we need to tell Eddie that you're The Flash, and that you're Sapphire."

"What?" Sophia asked, surprised to hear his suggestion.

"Okay, let's do it," Barry nodded.

"You guys are crazy, but, I trust you and I trust Eddie," Sophia said.

* * *

Eddie walked up the stairs, holding his jacket in hand, rubbing his eye with the other. It had been a long day of investigating, not to mention the pile of paperwork that was still left on his desk to fill out. There was a great feeling in capturing a criminal, but the paperwork that came with wasn't always welcomed.

He had gotten a call from the Desk Sergeant, leaving a message that Joe was looking for him. So there he was, making his way to meet him in Barry's lab.

"Hey, Joe. Desk Sergeant said you were looking for me."

"Eddie, yeah. Uh… sit down," Joe said, turning the chair around and motioning for him to take a seat. Eddie tilted his head, shaking it. He would rather stand.

"It's about Iris." As soon as her name fell of Joe's lips, Eddie was drawn in, and he moved closer, eager to hear what he had to say. "She's looking into Mason Bridge's disappearance. We can't let that happen," Joe said, and a second later the unexpected had happened.

"Detective," Barry greeted as he rushed into the room, leaving a gust of wind trailing behind, Sophia in his arms as he settled her down on the ground.

Both The Flash and Sapphire were standing before Eddie, and something even crazier had happened next. They both removed their masks, revealing their true identities. Eddie was shocked to see that Barry Allen was in fact The Flash, and even more surprised to see that Sophia was actually Sapphire.

"We need your help," Sophia said and Eddie just nodded mutely, unsure of what the hell he was going to say.

* * *

"Brazil?" Iris questioned. Of all places Mason could have gone, she wouldn't have picked Brazil. "Why… why would Mason move to Brazil?"

"Apparently there was a girl involved, and he decided to go hike the Amazon with her for a year, you know, live off the grid, write his memoirs or something," Eddie said, the lies tasting sour on his tongue. He had argued long and hard that night with Joe before coming to the decision of lying to Iris, to keep her off Well's trial in an attempt to protect her from the wrath of the Reverse-Flash, and all the drama associated with their lives.

"Wow. I guess you really don't know anyone," Iris breathed out, still shocked at the news.

"No, you don't," Eddie said, this time his words pointed at the other three people in the room. Sophia bit her lip, giving Eddie a sheepish look. It wasn't like they lied to them on purpose. They did it to protect them, but now, things were getting dangerous, and they needed help. She promised Eddie that they would have a proper discussion later that night, he deserved to know every detail and aspect of their operations and what was going on now that he was dragged into their mess.

"Hey, baby, everything good?" Joe called out from the other side of the room, where he sat on the couch with Barry and Sophia next to him.

"Yeah, yeah of course. Um, dinner will be ready in a jiff, okay?" Iris called out as she walked into the kitchen to make the final preparations.

"Okay," Joe nodded, taking a sip of his drink.

"She buy it?" Barry asked as Eddie walked over to them.

"I think so," Eddie said.

"Keeping her in the dark, it's for her safety," Joe explained to Eddie, hoping that he would understand.

"That is debatable, and we will have that debate," Eddie said sternly. "But for right now, what's our next move? How do we figure out what Wells is up to?"

"When Wells was talking me though phasing so I could get the Trickster's bomb off my wrist, the way that he described my being The Flash, running, feeling the wind and the power, it's like he was talking from experience," Barry spoke as though he knew something they didn't.

"What are you saying?" Sophia asked, a sliver of panic trickling through her voice.

"I don't know how… but he's the man in yellow. Harrison Wells is the Reverse-Flash."

* * *

 **A / N – If you haven't checked it out already, I have a one-shot posted called NEW ROMANTICS. It's a Barry/Sophia AU, it's on my profile, go read it and review please! I have another small one I'm working on that's all fluff and love, totally AU as well, and it's in the works. I'll upload that to the same story as a series of one-shots for whenever I feel bored. So don't forget to follow/favourite it as well for future reference.**

 **The response to the last chapter was more than I had expected, and I hope that you all loved this one just as much, can't wait to hear what you think of the developments.**

 **Thanks to everyone that favourite/followed and reviewed. You guys never fail to put a smile on my face.**

 **Replies:**

 **LikeLavender: Sarry for the win! Basically, Sophia was experiencing a "mirror effect" of what happened in the alternate timeline. So in that timeline, whilst she had her heart ripped out, it compensated for her "heart attack" in this one. It only happened this way because of Sophia's connection to Barry, and her being a meta-human. Like how Cisco has the dreams, but instead of her memories returning, a physical feeling returns, therefore the heart attack. Does that make sense? Sorry if it was a bit confusing. Thanks again for the review, hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **RHatch89: Thanks bud!**

 **CuteGlasses: That's good! I've been trying to catch you guys off guard a bit, make things different to the show so it's a nice surprise. Thanks for the review. X**

 **Witchbaby300: YAAAAS for super long chapters. This one wasn't as long in comparison, but it's getting there. Yes, yes, yes, coming along in the next few chapters, much more is revealed and trust me, the betrayal is definitely there. Thanks for the review!**

 **CRAZYJAMES1: You are too sweet for your own good. Thank you so much, those words honestly mean the world to me. Go, Sarry! I love them as well. Yes, I thought it would be funny. They're definitely going to have some fun interactions in the future for sure.**

 **Turtlekier42: Yes, and the drama ensues. Haha, of course, we can't let them be happy all the time ahaha. You totally understand. ;) Hope you enjoyed this instalment. X**

 **Aditi Upadhyay: Yo, girl, unfortunately I am not on twitter anymore, but if you have a ffnet account let me know and we can PM. All is good. Thanks for the two reviews ahaha. Yes, he was beating himself up quite a bit, especially since Wells told him that if he changed something that there would be consequences, and then seconds later he hears her screams and goes to see what's happened. SAME. I love Snart, and that's why I wanted to have him and Sophia have a sort of snarky and sarcastic relationship. Leonard doesn't have a crush on her, though he does think she's super attractive, and he doesn't mind the flirting, its' just for fun. Thanks for the review! x**

 **Highlander348: YES. She will find out soon enough. Damn straight. She is usually the forgiving type, but after what Wells does and has done, she's got no mercy left. She'll find out about the other timeline with the others when Cisco talks about his dreams, I think it's in the next few chapters.**

 **Shadowhunters12: I usually respond to your reviews via PM, but I was so busy this week that I didn't get a chance. BUT YES, sorry, you sort of knew that this mama drama was coming but yeah I love to torture my characters. Awww I'm sorry I made you cry, but then I am sort of proud of myself for getting such emotion out of you ahaha. YES, so Cisco's connected and there is that Echo, and like I explained to you via PM before, Sophia's connection with Barry because of their relationship, plus the fact that she is also a meta-human lead to her experiencing a mirror effect from the other timeline, but in a physical way, through the heart attack instead of dreams and visions like Cisco. It also wouldn't have happened normally BUT because Barry had changed things in the timeline e.g. capturing Mardon early. Things were affected, and it sort of just happened, like the timeline was bleeding into this one… make sense? Sorry if it's a bit confusing. Yes, later on she will find out with the others about what really happened.**

 **After seeing her limp body, with no life in it and then getting her back he wasn't going to let go of her. I wanted to add some fluff in the midst of all the drama so that's where it came through. Barry knows that he loves her with all his heart, but it's like he's sort of just realising HOW much he loves her, and that if he lost her then and there that he wouldn't be able to cope with it…for a long time.**

 **Good ol' Snart. Love a snarky Snart and a sarcastic Sophia, it's always a good show. Hells yeah! Barry wasn't just gonna let Snart hit on her, or threaten her. Plus Sophia thought it was super hot that Barry was getting all jealous and possessive. Barry – 1, Snart – 0. Yeah, but I decided to change a few things. Glad that you enjoyed it so much. Hope this one lives up to your standards now. ;) Thanks for the review as usual bud! x**

 **Natalie: Thanks Natalie, always lovely to hear from you. Yeah, tonight I'm catching up on the last two episodes of both the Flash and Supergirl. I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to watch it which made me super sad. I really want to try and incorporate Kara in somehow. I've gotten Superman in the story, and I want to get Kara in as well later on. Well, first I want to get this story finished for season 1, and then I am going to take a break for a while to prepare enough material for season 2 before I start posting. I really want to continue with s2, but to get the same sort of pattern with weekly updates, and this level of commitment, I'll need a few months to get things together and ready. But yeah, exciting things to come in the future hopefully. Thanks again for the review! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	23. Tension

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Tense.

That's the word that Sophia would use to describe how her life felt at this very moment.

Tense, was her body. Tense, the feelings between her and Barry. Tense, their interactions with Dr. Wells. Tense, her current relationship between Caitlin and Cisco. Tense, the situation they were all stuck in.

But she tried to push these thoughts to the back of her mind as she focused on the task ahead. It was patrol night, and she found that every criminal in Central City had decided to go rob some poor soul. Clearly they had been living under a rock, since most of them had been shocked and surprised to see her swoop down, and capture them.

She was patrolling solo tonight, not feeling in the mood to converse with Star Labs at the moment. She had gotten into a fight with Barry last night, and she wasn't ready to speak about it. They had gotten into a heated argument over Harrison Wells aka The Reverse Flash, and she had stormed out of his lab- well flew out his window, more like it.

He was being stubborn, and paranoid, and he refused to change his mind. Sophia had suggested that they get Cisco and Caitlin on board with their theory, that way, they would be safer with the knowledge that they should act with caution around Dr. Wells. But Barry disagreed, saying that the more people that knew the more danger they were in. Joe had then also agreed with Barry coming from a cop's point of view, pressing that they needed the element of surprise.

Eddie had been the one to come to her rescue, pushing for them to be more honest with Cisco and Caitlin, even Iris who had no knowledge of this whole thing in the first place. But they both got shot down, and that's when Sophia and Barry's argument broke out. Eddie and Joe had left for that part of the conversation, hoping that the two would sort it out. Sophia was insisting that they bring their friends on board, knowing that they could help them sort this all out faster. But Barry wasn't having it and they continued their passionate argument which was a nice way of putting it… in laymen's terms, it was an absolute mess.

Things somehow reverted back to the Reverse Flash murdering Nora, and then nasty words were spoken. In the heat of the moment, Barry had said that she didn't know what it felt like to lose a mother, and that struck a chord within Sophia. She had gone dead silent in a matter of seconds, and it was only then that he realised his mistake. With wide eyes and a guilty conscience, he moved forward, ready to take it back, but she left in a hurry, tears staining her cheeks as she flew home recklessly in the pouring rain, knowing that up in the sky, he wouldn't be able to run after her. She knew deep down in her heart that Barry was a kind person, that he would never really mean what he had said. But they had both let their emotions cloud their judgement and as a result, all the built up stress, panic and fear had bubbled up, exploding as they finally reached their limits.

By the time she had climbed into bed that night, she had cried herself to sleep, feeling guilty as she realised they could have both handled the situation better. When she woke up, she felt the familiar urge to cry, and after her tears dried, her feelings of guilt and pity had morphed into anger and frustration.

That was two days ago.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a female dispatcher over the police line, as she listened into their radio chatter.

"We've got a 10-31 in progress. Shiny Diamond, 8th and Olive."

Sophia looked at a street sign as she flew by, noting that she was only two blocks away. She pushed herself, her body gliding through the air faster as she took a sharp right turn, entering the street. She flew down, landing on the dark street as she noticed the two crooks with a large black bag slung over their shoulder, as they ran to their getaway car.

"Not so fast," She mumbled, mostly to herself as she ran up closer to both of the men. She contemplated throwing up a barrier to contain them, it would be the easiest thing, but she was in the mood to hit someone tonight, so she went for the old-fashioned approach.

The first man-a bulky bloke with various face tattoos- threw his bag to his friend as he stalked towards the Sapphire Knight before him. His large hands closed, forming two fists as he tried to throw punches at the woman in front of him. His right hook was aiming for her face, but she had effectively ducked, while using her flight to push herself backwards to block the second hit that was aimed at her torso. His eyes went wide at her sudden ability to move inhumanly, as though he had never heard of her flying around Central City's streets protecting people before. She took his momentarily distraction as a blessing in disguise, moving forward, applying pressure on her left foot as she kept herself balanced, her right swiftly moving to make contact with the man's stomach, sending him on his knees and heaving in pain. The other man had then pulled out a gun, pointing it directly at her, and she shot a blast of energy at the weapon, zapping the man's hand and knocking it to a safe distance.

She had then dropped off the two crooks to the CCPD's front doors, alerting one of the guards standing outside, who arrested them 'officially'. What she hadn't realised was that Barry had been listening to the same call, and had watched her from afar, making sure that she was alright as she took the two men down. He knew that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but when he saw the gun whipped out and pointed towards her, he was about to run and push it out of the way, but she had reacted faster than he could have, disarming the man within a matter of seconds. He noted that she had gotten faster with each week, and he was sure that eventually her flying might even be able to match that of his running. As he watched her, he felt guilty for their fight last night, and he wanted nothing more than to just apologise and end it.

"Barry, Indecent exposure. Powell Park," Cisco had called through the comm. sending him from that scene to apprehend someone else.

"This ain't something you should be showing people," The Flash berated the man who was 'flashing' people in the middle of the family park. He had dropped him off at the police station, at least not before throwing a coat over the nude man.

Just when Barry thought his saving quota was over for the night, Joe informed him on another line that the car chase they were currently stuck in, wasn't going anywhere, and they needed a little bit of help from the scarlet speedster.

* * *

"Victims name is Lindsay Kang, engineering professor at Hudson University," Eddie informed Barry as they stood at their new crime scene. The weather was mild today, and for that he was thankful as he enjoyed the cool breeze, especially when wearing his suit. "Just got tenure."

"Hey," Joe greeted as he walked onto the scene, joining Eddie and Barry. Barry slipped his gloves onto his hands, dropping his case to the ground as he popped the lids, and grabbed out a sampling bag.

"So, her whole body's covered in these puncture wounds you see on her face."

"Bite marks maybe?" Joe supplied.

"Whatever it was, she must have gone into anaphylaxis," Barry said as he examined the body.

"Damn," Joe said.

"Yeah. The blood sample should tell us everything we need to know. I'll run tests back at my lab," Barry said as he packed up his equipment into his briefcase of goodies. He threw the strap of his bag onto his shoulder, the weight pressing down uncomfortably on his shoulder, but he was use to the pain.

"They can do it faster at Star Labs," Joe pointed out, knowing that the technology and with the three extra heads working on it, they could be done in half the time.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, it's just-," Barry tried to come up with an excuse, but he really couldn't.

"It's just what?" Joe questioned with a raised brow as he watched Barry fumble with his words.

"It's kind of weird being there right now," Barry admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as Joe looked at him with slight confusion.

"Barry, you know we have to play it cool with Wells. If he finds out we suspect him…"

"I know. I get it. But it's not just Wells. Sophia and I haven't talked for two days, and there's just too much awkward tension," Barry admitted to Joe. "I wanted to speak to her last night, but she was on patrol by herself, and things were just…it wasn't the right time."

"You'll get through it Barry, it's just a bump along the road to happiness," Joe said, causing Barry to laugh and shake his head.

"The more I think about it, the more I think she's right. I think we should tell Cisco and Caitlin. They could help us," Barry said. He knew that Joe didn't want to expand the circle, but Barry knew that Sophia was right, and they should have listened to her in the first place.

"The more people who know, the more chance Wells is gonna find out we're on to him," Joe said, shaking his head. "I mean, what if one of them slips up? Or panics? Or what if…" Joe trailed off, unsure if he should cross over into that territory just yet.

"What?" Barry questioned.

"What if they're not on our side?" Joe asked. He knew that they both were good people, but if their loyalty was to Dr. Wells over Barry then they knew what they had to do.

"No. Absolutely not," Barry declared. He knew them, he knew that they would never, ever, help the Reverse Flash. "They're not involved in whatever he's planning."

"I mean, Wells is their boss, their mentor. They've been with him for a long time. I've seen plenty of people make the wrong choice for loyalty."

"Please do not include them until we can be sure."

"All right. Now, why don't you go and make up with your girlfriend. You just need to talk through it all. She'll forgive you, she loves you."

Barry sighed, unsure of what he was going to say. He knew that she would probably be at Star Labs this morning, so he would make it his mission to apologise to her whilst he got his samples done.

* * *

"Death by apitoxin," Caitlin announced, walking into the room with her tablet. Barry had come over, with some samples that needed to be tested. "Honeybee venom."

"Bees. Why did it have to be bees? Y'all, I don't do bees," Cisco announced with pursed lips and Sophia shivered at the mention of bees. She loved bees in the sense that she loved honey, and that they were good for the planet, save the bees and all. She just didn't like them when they were flying viciously towards you in an attempt to sting you and commit suicide.

"Ain't nobody got time for bees," Sophia added, taking a long sip of the coffee in her mug when she noticed that Barry was looking at her. She averted her gaze, focusing on the cup of coffee, staring at it as it was the most interesting thing in the room. She had never fought with Barry on a scale like this before, and she was scared of what would happen next.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Cisco said, throwing Sophia a smile, trying to cheer her up. He knew that there was trouble in paradise, and that they haven't spoken to each other apart from a few words here or there for the last few days. It was getting ridiculous, if Cisco was being honest. But he figured that it just came down to stress from work… then again, he hadn't gotten all the details, just that they had gone through their first real fight as a couple and they were having trouble sorting through it.

"But when a honeybee stings, the stingers are literally torn from their abdomen, and they die," Caitlin informed them.

"But there were no stingers in the body and no dead bees in the car," Barry said with a frown. "That doesn't make sense."

"A honeybee can only deposit .1 milligrams of apitoxin when it releases its stinger."

"And yet, Ms. Kang was found with enough venom in her system to kill a herd of elephants. It appears not only is a meta-human controlling these bees, but also increasing their toxicity," Dr. Wells said.

"Bees communicated by releasing pheromones. Maybe this Meta's controlling them through secretion?" Caitlin mused.

"Anyone want to join me in getting a beekeeper suit?" Cisco asked, and Sophia smiled, throwing a glowing blue barrier around herself.

"I'm all set," She winked at Cisco, who groaned. "Don't worry Cisco, I'll protect you as well."

"I'm pretty sure I can outrun a bee," Barry said, crossing his arms and Sophia tried not to notice the way his arms looked in that jacket. He just had to be wearing her favourite shirt on him today and she wasn't sure if he did it on purpose or not to taunt her. Her eyes turned from a vision of admiration to annoyance in a blur.

"Just don't run into a lake. Bees will wait for you to come up for air, and then they'll sting you. Discovery Channel. Turns out there's a lot to discover," A voice mused, as they entered the room.

"Felicity?!" Sophia exclaimed, stunned to see her friend. "What are you doing here?" She asked, running up to the blonde and pulling her into a tight hug. It was definitely a highlight seeing a familiar face.

"It's a long story. Can you guys come outside for a sec?" Felicity asked, and they all followed, even though they weren't sure what was going on. Sophia walked side by side with Felicity having a small chat as the team made their way outside. Sophia entered the code, opening the back exit on that level, standing on the side and holding the door open for everyone, even Barry who had paused awkwardly before shuffling outside.

"What exactly are we waiting for, Ms. Smoak?" Dr. Wells asked, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. Sophia didn't even bother sparing a glance at Dr. Wells. Since their revelation that he was most probably the man in the yellow suit, she wasn't able to keep her poker face as strong as she might have previously.

"Up there," Felicity pointed out and they all looked up to the blue sky.

"Is that a bird?" Someone asked and Sophia squinted trying to see better, but with the sun shining in her eyes it was hard to tell who was there, that and the added fact that her vision for long distance was a bit poor.

"It's a plane."

"No way, it's too small," Sophia mumbled to Cisco.

"It's my boyfriend," Felicity said, surprising them all, causing heads to turn, and looking at her in shock. It was just then that he had landed in front of them, wearing some sort of robotic armour. He pressed a button on his wrist, releasing the helmet and revealing a handsome face, a bright smile painted on his face. Sophia's eyes squinted as she focused on the face in front of her, she was sure that she had seen it somewhere before… like was famous or something.

"Hi, I'm Ray," He greeted with a small wave. Laughter and greetings were exchanged as they all introduced themselves to Ray before deciding to move back inside. "Ray Palmer."

 _That's it._ Billionaire and entrepreneur Ray Palmer. Sophia shook her head with a smile. Felicity always managed to snag ridiculously good looking guys, and they were always filthy rich. They introduced themselves quickly before Dr. Wells suggested that they take this inside.

"So, he seems a little tall for you," Barry mused to Felicity as they walked back into Star Labs, nudging her shoulder lightly.

"Barry Allen, are you jealous?" Felicity asked with a raised brow.

"Je…no. No, I'm not _jealous_. I have a girlfriend," Barry said, and Felicity's eyes went wide.

" _Oh,_ I keep forgetting that you and Sophia are together, I haven't seen you in a while," Felicity apologised.

"I just…I really wish you would've called before flying in," Barry said in a low voice. Not that he didn't love that she came to visit and with her boyfriend of all people, but things were tense between him and Dr. Wells, not to mention Sophia, it wasn't exactly the greatest time.

"Oh no, he flew. I drove," Felicity remarked with a straight face and Barry would have marvelled at her ability to do so if he wasn't so on edge.

"I'm serious, all right? Now is not the best time," Barry said, his voice strained and he cringed at the forceful sound of his words.

"Why? What's going on?" Felicity asked, noticing the pained expression on Barry's face, but before he could reply, they had arrived at the Cortex, and were interrupted by Ray and Sophia.

"Ah, well, my ears popped, so that's something," Ray said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Really? Mine never did," Sophia mused to Ray, wondering why that hadn't happened. "Maybe it's physiological."

"Well that's certainly interesting," Ray replied. But he figured it would just be down to the change in her genetic code, after all, she was a meta-human, and he was just a human in a suit. "Probably comes down to the alteration in your genetic code that allows you to fly. It's quite fascinating."

"Tell me about it," Sophia replied with a smile. "I've looked over my own blood work and examined cells underneath microscopes, but sometimes it still doesn't feel real."

"I can imagine," Ray said. "I'd love to take a look if you wouldn't mind. Scientific purposes and all."

"I have no problem with that. Caitlin can show you where she keeps all the samples later. It's a bit crazy down in our lab, but you're probably use to that with your own company," Sophia told Ray. If Felicity trusted him, then so did she. She didn't mind him taking a look at her altered genes. In fact, it could reveal some results, maybe he would pick up on things that Caitlin may have missed.

"What is it with billionaires being superheroes?" Cisco asked aloud, interrupting their conversation. He was still slightly in shock that Felicity was dating Ray Palmer, CEO of Palmer Tech, who was also a superhero.

"I'm not a billionaire, neither is Barry," Sophia pointed out to Cisco.

"So have you picked a name yet?" Cisco asked Ray.

"I'm kind of partial to The Atom," Ray said.

"You married to that, or…?" Cisco asked, and Sophia laughed, knowing that he obviously didn't like it.

"Your A.T.O.M. suit… it's quite the technological achievement, Mr. Palmer. I'm impressed," Dr. Wells said as he examined the suit.

"And he is never impressed."

"Well, thank you, but I can't quite seem to keep it up," Ray said, and Sophia nearly choked on her drink at his comment, and Barry who was standing next to her, patted her back lightly, and she stopped coughing and then stiffened under Barry's touch. He seemed to notice this a moment later and moved his hand away.

"Thanks," She mumbled softly, an embarrassed flush erupting on her cheeks.

"He means the suit," Felicity quickly threw in.

"Yeah, I mean the suit," Ray said, as he looked down at Felicity with a grin. "I can attest that everything else works just fine."

"There's nothing we need to fix in…" Felicity clicked her tongue. " _That_ area."

"No, no, no. The sex is great," Ray blurted out with a beaming smile as he looked over at Felicity who was blushing a deep firetruck red.

"God, there's two of them," Sophia breathed out as she stared at them with wide eyes, holding her hand to her mouth as she tried to contain her laughter. She honestly didn't expect that to come out of Ray's mouth.

They all continued to converse about details in regards to fixing Ray's problem, and what would be done about handling the quote "meta-human killer that can control a whole swarm of bees." Sophia and Barry were obviously tasked to that, but everyone agreed they had to wait on some forensic evidence to get back, so they had the next hour free, before they were to meet back in the cortex.

Sophia had immediately moved to go her own way when Barry ran after her, causing her to stop mid-escape down the hallway as he used his speed to catch up. His wrist caught her own and she turned around to face him, looking at him expectantly.

"Can we talk?" Barry asked, his gaze meeting her own. She stared at him silently for a moment and she looked down, feeling guilty about their fight.

"I-I can't, I have a meeting that I need to get to," Sophia lied, doing her very best to avoid his gaze.

It wasn't anything important for work, she was just meeting Eddie at Jitters. He had called her that morning, asking to meet her at the coffee joint for some advice. He was having trouble keeping this whole Flash and Sapphire thing a secret from Iris, and since she felt guilty for being a part of that reason, she knew it was the right thing to do.

"Sophia," Barry's voice pleaded, and it left a pang in her chest as she remembered why they were fighting in the first place. The pleading tone that he had used had her flashing back to the way he had called after her that night when she fled the scene. Her lower lip was starting to quiver and she knew that if she stayed any longer thinking about it she would burst into tears. Her mother was a sensitive topic, and he knew that, but he had said it anyway. She wasn't known for holding a grudge, but in that moment, she just felt stubborn, and tense, and she couldn't control how she felt, or her mouth either.

"Barry, I don't want to talk right now… I-I just need some time. I'll talk to you later," She said, shrugging him off as she walked down the hallway, leaving Barry behind, watching her walk away from him with a solemn look on his face.

* * *

Jitters seemed to be emptying up, the mid-morning coffee rush, dying down. The usual café music played, soothing Sophia's thoughts as she focused on something other than her recent verbal altercation with Barry. The smell of coffee beans, and the light chatter that echoed in the café was calming and it offered a great distraction. She was seated at a booth with Eddie across from her, and she slipped her arms through the jacket she had been holding, her fingers fiddling with the fraying woollen material. It wasn't too cold out this time of year, but the air-conditioning inside seemed to be getting to her. It wasn't long til the waitress brought over their coffees over to the booth, leaving Sophia and Eddie to talk.

"So," Eddie began. They hadn't exchanged more than a hello since they sat down, and the silence was getting a bit awkward. It wasn't that Sophia didn't like Eddie, or didn't know him as well as Iris, but that she still had this anxious feeling in her gut since she shot down Barry at Star Labs before she came here. She felt terrible for refusing to talk to him when he was obviously coming to her to resolve their problems, but she didn't know what overcame her in the moment.

"So…" Sophia continued, unsure of what to say. She didn't have the closest relationship with Eddie. Maybe it was because of her secret, and just not having all the time in the world to socialise, but she felt bad.

"I know this is weird, but I was wondering if you had any advice on keeping this whole thing a secret from Iris. I can't keep lying to her about The Flash, or about you," Eddie said, lowering his voice.

"I know, and I'm so sorry that you're burdened with this secret. I promise that we'll tell her soon, but now…it's a sensitive time."

"I know, but it's really starting to affect our relationship. We haven't had sex in two weeks," Eddie blurted out.

Sophia closed her eyes, nearly face palming. That was the second time that morning that someone she knew had spoken about their sex life so publicly. She was use to discussing these things with patients, for medical purposes, but hearing your friends talk about their sex life was just not on her list of things to do for that day, in fact, it wasn't on the list at all. "That's a bit TMI, but whatever. This secret. It comes with a cost. If she finds out, it could put her in danger. Until we sort out what we're going to do in terms of the Reverse Flash, it's safer to keep her out it all." Sophia was actually all thumbs up for telling Iris, but after Barry telling them that he thought it was the Reverse-Flash she wasn't so sure anymore.

"I-I just can't deal with it," Eddie admitted. He was finding it harder to lie to her, especially since he loved and respected her so much. He felt terrible for having to do this, but he knew that it was for the greater good, even if he disagreed with their methods.

"Me too. Secrets suck," Sophia stated bluntly and Eddie nodded his head, agreeing with her.

"Amen."

"What about you and Barry? Have you sorted out your…" Eddie trailed off, unsure of what to call it. It was a fight for sure, but he would let Sophia do the rest of the talking. She shook her head, and Eddie felt a pang of empathy. He understood how it felt to fight with the person you loved, it was never easy.

"Nope," She said, popping the 'p'. "We haven't spoken in nearly three days, and even though I want to talk about it, I shot him down this morning. I don't even know why. I'm way past the upset stage, but I just- I'm so worried that we'll talk, and something will happen, and things will just… end," Sophia admitted to Eddie, her hand tightening on the cup of coffee in front of her. She had been scared to say it out loud. But, what if Barry didn't want this anymore. What if he realised that in between all of this drama, and craziness, that he didn't need the extra trouble? "What if he leaves me?" She asked.

Eddie stared at her with surprised eyes. He had never seen this vulnerable side of Sophia before, and he honestly didn't know what to say. He felt like he knew Barry enough to know that something like this wouldn't warrant a break-up, and the fact that he'd witnessed their affection towards each other first-hand, made him believe that Barry wouldn't be breaking up with Sophia any time soon, especially not over something that was in some aspects, quite _trivial_.

"Hey," Eddie's soft voice came out, his hand reaching over the table and finding Sophia's. "He loves you. You'll work through it, you just need to give him a chance."

"Thanks, Eddie. I think we both needed this chat more than we would like to admit."

"Can I give you a ride back to Star Labs?"

"No need, I'll fly," Sophia teased, winking at Eddie as he remembered that she was actually a meta-human.

"No problem. I'll catch up with you later."

"Likewise. Good luck with Iris. She loves you too, you know. Don't forget that."

Just as Eddie said goodbye to Sophia, she spotted Barry and Felicity entering Jitters. As soon as her gaze met Barry's she froze. She knew that they had to talk, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. She thought he would have been at Star Labs with the rest of the team still. She scratched her neck awkwardly before deciding to go over there. She was ready to stop fighting and leave it in the past. She missed him. It had been three days of sleepless nights, three days of no hugs and kisses from Barry Allen, and she was ready to end it now.

"Mind if I borrow Barry for a second?" Sophia asked as Felicity as she walked up to them.

"Go for it, I'll order us some drinks," Felicity said.

"Want to take this outside?" Barry asked and Sophia nodded, walking outside, where they went to talk in the quiet alleyway.

"I'm-," They both started to speak at the same time, and then they stopped.

"You go first," Sophia said and Barry shook his head.

"No, it's okay, you go," Barry said, tapping his fingers nervously against his leg.

"I'm sorry," Sophia began. "For pushing, for arguing. It's a difficult situation we're stuck in, but I shouldn't have tried to force you to tell Cisco and Caitlin. I don't like fighting with you and I'm sorry for pushing you away this morning when it was clear that you wanted to sort things out." She looked down, staring at her feet as she waited for his reply. She felt embarrassed by her childish behaviour this morning. He had clearly come to apologise, to fix things, but she had just ignored him like a stubborn two year old.

"I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't never have said what I did, and I'm sorry for making you upset. All this stress is getting to us both, but it's no excuse for what happened," Barry said, lifting her chin up with his fingers. "I love you, more than anything in this world, and I don't want to fight with you… _ever_. You mean too much to me, and I don't want to lose you." Barry's confession had her tearing up lightly, but this time, out of love. She felt so relieved when he had said those words, it had reassured her that things weren't going to end.

"And I love you, I never want to let you go," Sophia said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a warm embrace.

"So you forgive me?" Barry asked, moving back and she nodded. Her eyes drifted from his hypnotising green eyes down to his lips and he leaned forward, as though he was urging her to do so as well. Her lips slowly captured his, pressing a long loving kiss to his lips. Barry sighed into the kiss, enjoying the taste of the coffee remnants that were lingering on her lips, drawing her back in for another quick kiss before she pulled away.

"You're forgiven," She said simply. "And am I?" She asked, her breath fanning out on his lips, their noses brushing against each other.

"Always," Barry breathed out, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before they both headed back into Jitters, hands intertwined, and hearts mended, to meet Felicity who was waiting with their steaming drinks.

* * *

Cisco was working down in his lab with Ray whilst the others were out. He enjoyed spending time analysing and helping Ray fix his suit. It was sort of his thing. But as they were talking, and looking over the plan to improve and repair the insulation issues, Cisco had a bout of nausea. It hit him like a tidal wave, but it wasn't enough to make him want to puke. He felt dizzy, and for a second, an image flashed in his mind, taking full coverage of his vision for a split second. It was the Reverse Flash, and he was talking to him. The vision then melded, changing again, the Reverse-Flash taking another form, this time of Harrison Wells. It took him off guard, and it was a good minute until he was responsive to Ray who was trying to catch his attention.

"Cisco? You okay?" Ray asked, placing a hand on Cisco's shoulder, realising that the younger engineer didn't look so well.

"Yeah. I haven't been getting enough sleep, so…" Cisco half-lied, blinking to clear his vision. The sleep part was true, it was a fight to get even a moment of relaxation at night, but he knew that it wasn't just because of that.

A moment later, Caitlin's voice called out on the speakers. "Cisco, we need you up here." Ray followed Cisco as they moved up to the cortex.

"Killer bees are at it again," Caitlin informed the two as they walked in.

"Get a hold of Barry or Sophia," Cisco said and the call was put in immediately. A second later, they were in the room, a gush of wind bringing both Felicity, Sophia and Barry into the room.

"Another bee attack?" Sophia asked as she moved towards the computer to take a look at what Caitlin was analysing. Caitlin looked back at the map nodding in confirmation.

"Folston Tech."

"I'll see where Joe is," Barry said, whilst Sophia moved to grab her suit from its spot in the display case.

" _Bee_ careful," Felicity called out to them both.

"For real?"

"Bad pun. Sorry. Just don't die. Either of you," Felicity said, with a sheepish look.

Sophia took to the air, flying in the direction of Folston Tech, and as she got closer, she noticed the large crowd of people running out of the building, their screams in the air, and chaos all around as flew past them, straight through an open door and into the lobby as she landed.

"We're too late," Sophia commented as she turned around on the spot. There were no bees in sight.

"Where are the bees?" Barry asked, and Sophia looked over at him and shrugged as they continued to check the vicinity.

"I don't know. There's no sign of them," Caitlin spoke through the comm.

"Found them," Barry suddenly announced as a mass herd of Bees flew their way, the loud buzzing enough to make Sophia want to be sick in pure fear of insects.

"Shit, did I mention how much I hated bees?" Sophia threw out as she flew backwards, Barry running with her as they tried to find an escape. But the faster they moved, the faster the Bees came after them, following their trail as though they were going to lead the Bees to sweet flowers.

"Probably should have mentioned that beforehand, Soph," Felicity said from the comm. Sophia grunted in response as she twisted her body, just missing a collision with a pillar in the complex of the building. She mentally cursed the architect that designed this building. There wasn't even a proper exit sign around anywhere and she didn't know how it had passed safety inspections.

"How do we get out of here?" Barry asked with a tone of urgency.

"Take the northeast crossway, it's the quickest way out of the building," Cisco informed.

Sophia followed Barry as he lead the way, noticing the buzzing sound closing in on their position as they moved further towards the exit.

" _Guy's_ , they're everywhere, we're surrounded."

Sophia had threw balls off energy at the bees, disabling quite a few, but there were just too many. Her body flew catching Barry in her arms as she threw a shield around them, the bees buzzing from the outside. But it only took one bee, that had gotten stuck in there with them before that moved, stinging Barry on his neck, the venom injecting into his bloodstream in a moment's notice. He yelped in pain before collapsing to the ground and in a panic the shield went down and she blasted them with a wave of energy, sending the bees crashing to the ground as they all died in one hit, dropping to the floor like dead flies.

She moved over to Barry with an urgency that she had felt once before, a feeling that she never wanted to again in her life. He was laying there on the floor, lifeless, because she hadn't been able to help him, she hadn't been fast enough.

"Barry! Barry!" She yelled out his name, crouching down against his body. She put her finger to his neck, finding it hard to feel a pulse through the leather suit. "Caitlin what's happening?"

"He's going into cardiac arrest," Caitlin called from her side.

"Barry, stay with me, honey, stay with me," Sophia pleaded as she began CPR, pulling his mask off his face and tilting his head back. Her hands worked fast against his chest as she compressed the palms of her hands against his skin, checking his airways before her lips fell onto his, breathing air into his mouth. She continued to do this for another two minutes, when Caitlin called frantically through the line. She was beginning to feel tired, the muscles in her arms aching, and her chest burning as she took in another deep breath, exhaling into Barry's mouth with all her strength. His body worked differently, and he needed more oxygen than the average human with the rate that his cells moved at.

"Come on, Barry, don't leave me," Sophia exhaled, the panic starting to set in. "Don't you dare leave me." Frustrated tears trickled down her cheeks as she continued the compressions.

"Sophia, he doesn't have a pulse," Caitlin said.

"I know, that's why I'm giving him CPR." Though her words were meant to come out strong and stern, they were shaky at the very best.

"He needs a jumpstart."

"I can do that," She said, closing her eyes and placing her hands in the correct position on his chest. She focused on the electrical energy coursing all the way from her own chest, down her arms, trailing into her fingertips and travelling through Barry. His chest jerked forward, before collapsing back down again, and nothing happened. She bit down on her tongue, tasting the metallic blood in her mouth as she began to panic even more.

"Again. You need to get it up to 400 joules at least," Caitlin said in worry.

"Come on, Barry! Don't leave me," Sophia voice was desperate, but she held onto the thought of saving him which overwhelmed her other feelings of fear. One last time she pushed just enough power, and energy into it and he jumped straight up, gasping for air and his green eyes darting around frantically. He spotted Sophia in front of him, with a wild look on her face. She wrapped her arms around him without fail, weeping silently into his chest.

"Thank god," She mumbled against his chest over and over again.

"It's alright, I'm okay," Barry reassured her, holding onto her tight as he tried to calm down his erratic heartbeat.

* * *

They were back at Star Labs now. Sophia had forced him to fly, not wanting him to run back after what had just happened even though he insisted that he was fine. Once he had found out that his girlfriend had resuscitated him and used her hands as an improvised defibrillator did he realise the enormity of what had just happened.

"You're very lucky to be alive, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells said as Barry walked into the room, with Sophia's hand attached to his own.

"I was very specific that you not die," Felicity scowled.

"Yeah, that's a pretty big thing for her," Ray threw in.

"Cisco, what happened out there?" Barry asked in an accusatory tone. Sophia caught on immediately to what he was getting at and didn't like it one bit. "I followed your directions exactly."

"I'm sorry. I led you the wrong way. The schematics that we had, they… they weren't up to date," Cisco said softly, feeling guilty for what had happened. If he had just taken a few seconds more of extra time to check it out before hand, then he wouldn't have risked Barry getting hurt.

"What, they weren't up to date? What do you mean? That's never happened before?" Barry asked again, his tone more aggressive this time. Sophia tightened her grip on his hand, and he turned to meet her gaze, and she silently told him to calm down, and not let things go overboard.

"What, you think Cisco was trying to get you killed?" Felicity threw the insane idea out there, but when silence was her only response she realised how awkward it was right now.

"No," Sophia said quickly. "Why would he do that?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Barry continued.

"I know. That's why I was joking," Felicity said awkwardly.

"Barry, it's our job to protect you, and today, we failed, but that'll just serve as a warning for all of us to be more vigilant in the future," Dr. Wells said, trying to diffuse the situation, but in fact it only made the tension within Barry rise.

"Good news… the apitoxin is out of your body," Caitlin said. "Your levels are back to normal."

" _Terrific_."

"Ray, Felicity. We're gonna be late for dinner."

"Dinner?" Sophia questioned. It was the first time she had heard of it.

"Ray booked out a restaurant for all of us tonight, I forgot to tell you amidst all the drama," Barry apologised and Sophia nodded, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Are you sure that's wise, Barry? You just died."

Sophia winced at the memory of his heart stopping inside his chest.

"Maybe you should order in tonight," Felicity suggested as she turned to look at Ray with puppy dog eyes. He melted in a second and turned to Sophia and Barry in front of him.

"Yeah, we could totally cancel," Ray reassured. "It's no problem at all."

"I'm fine. Alive. Hungry. Ready to go, as long as my girlfriend is up to it," Barry said looking down at Sophia. She met his warm gaze and reluctantly gave him a small nod. Wherever they were going tonight, be it at home, or out, all she wanted to be, was by his side.

"All right?"

"Let's go."

"That was weird," Cisco commented.

"Yeah," Caitlin agreed. But she wasn't thinking about the conversation that just happened, but the fact that Barry had been so upset with Cisco.

"Why didn't we get invited to dinner?" Cisco asked with a pout, and Dr. Wells rolled his eyes before rolling out of the room.

* * *

Barry had grabbed his black suit, making sure to grab his tie as well. Felicity had been specific in the dress code, mentioning that it was black tie, nothing more and nothing less. Once locating his stuff, he ran to Sophia's apartment, to get ready with her for dinner. The dinner that they were all running late to. He had tried not to worry about that, since Ray had extended the booking time. Barry scrunched his face as he ran. He still had a light pain in his chest, but he didn't want to worry her further today than he already had, so he kept it to himself.

When he walked into her apartment he had expected to see her rushing around to get ready, but instead he saw her sitting against the foot of her bed, with her knees brought up to her chest, and her head buried in her lap, her body shuddering lightly. As he walked closer with concerned eyes he could hear the soft sobs coming from her, her face covered by her dark curls that fanned out over her face like a blanket.

"Soph, what's wrong?" Barry asked, sliding down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. He brushed a piece of hair away from the side of her face as he tried to get a closer look.

"Y-You nearly died today," She hiccupped, wiping the tears from her eyes, but they kept falling regardless of her attempts to stop it. She had forced herself to keep all of her emotions in when they had gotten back to Star Labs, but as soon as she was alone in her apartment, the reality of it all came crashing down. Barry's heart had stopped, he had been dead for those few minutes that he wasn't breathing. She wondered if this was how he had felt when she had her heart attack those few weeks back. She never wanted to feel like this again.

"What if we didn't make up this morning? W-what if you died and I-I n-never," She stopped speaking as she continued to cry, trying not to think about what could have happened.

"Hey," He gentle brought her face up, so that she was looking at him. "I'm right here, I'm alright, I'm okay," His reassuring tone, calmed her down as he intertwined their hands together. "You're not going to lose me," Barry promised.

"I'm sorry," Sophia whispered. She felt guilty for what happened, and it was just in her nature to apologise.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Barry said, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Are you sure you want to go out? I can call Felicity and cancel, it won't be a problem," Barry said. He could tell by the state she was in that she was still struggling over what happened this morning, and he didn't want to force her into a social setting if she wasn't up for it.

"No, it's fine. I think a bit of fresh air will do me some good," Sophia said, taking a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Barry said, wiping her tears with the pad of his thumb, slowly leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

And then the two were off, getting glammed up for their first outing with their friends in a while.

* * *

They arrived at the fancy French restaurant, dressed to perfection. Well at least, that's how Barry saw Sophia in his eyes. She was wearing a sequenced navy blue dress that was similar in colour to her own suit. Her lips were a soft pink, and he was so tempted to swoop down and kiss her, really kiss her, but he knew that they were already late, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to control himself.

"Have I told you how breathtaking you took right now?" Barry leaned down next to her, whispering the question in her ear, as he linked her arm through his own as they walked through the front doors of the restaurant.

"I believe you may have mentioned it once or twice before we left," Sophia teased with a grin. Her eyes flickered at Barry once again, her eyes trailing over his long lean form in the fitted black suit and tie was currently wearing. Whenever she witnessed Barry Allen in black tie, she always undoubtedly swooned, and the longer she stared at him unapologetically, the stronger the warm feeling in her stomach grew.

"Did I happen to mention that you look particularly handsome right now?" She leaned closer ghosting her lips across his cheek as she asked the question, smiling proudly when she saw the light pink blush rise to the surface of his cheeks.

"You might have mentioned it once or twice," Barry said, sending a wink her way, causing her to laugh. Their little bubble was popped when Felicity rushed up to them, looking stunning in a red number.

"Wow, you guys look amazing!" Felicity exclaimed, as she greeted them, twirling Sophia around with a laugh as she admired her dress.

Then entering behind the super couple, came Eddie and Iris, who were also looking dapper in their outfits. Sophia turned around to give Iris a hug, complimenting her on how _fly_ she looked right now. Sophia also moved and went to give Eddie a hug, mainly for support because she knew that both he and Iris were going through a tough time, but also as a small token of thanks for being such a supportive friend. Eddie gave her a supportive smile when she noticed that she was huddling closer to Barry, glad that the two of them had made up.

"Guys, this is Ray Palmer," Felicity then introduced her tall boyfriend to Eddie and Iris.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Eddie said, putting out his hand, to which Ray shook it with a smile.

"Lovely to meet you."

Once all the meeting and greeting had been done, a waiter walked up to the group.

"Mr. Palmer, your table is ready," A waiter said, as he opened the wider doors, into the actual dining area of the venue. Candles were lit, and there was a certain warmth and comfort that the restaurant emitted that seemed to set the mood, leaving them excited for a night on the town.

"Great. Shall we?" Ray hooked his arm through Felicity's as they all followed, moving inside.

"Yes."

"Hey, how did he get a reservation here?" Iris asked Sophia and she shrugged her shoulders. She had actually been trying to get a reservation here for a while, wanting to surprise Barry with a nice dinner, like had had on her birthday.

"I don't know. I've been trying myself for months," Sophia admitted, twisting her head to see their boyfriends trailing behind them.

"Same, it's been practically impossible," Iris laughed.

"Here's your table, sir," The waiter announced as they reached a large round table.

"I thought it'd be nice if it was quiet, so I bought out the entire restaurant," Ray said, and everyone's eyes went wide.

Sophia knew that Ray Palmer was rich, but she didn't know he was also that type of rich. Iris was even more surprised, but she just gave Sophia a bright smile and shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, what the heck.

"Too much?" Ray asked, with a nervous face as he turned to look at Felicity.

"Just a tad, sweetie," Felicity teased, placing a kiss on his cheek. Regardless, everyone was excited, and thankful for the gesture, it was just something they weren't used to on a daily basis.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Sophia threw out there, lightening the mood, as everyone moved to take a seat, Barry standing behind her and pulling out her chair for her. She glanced up at him, throwing him a smile and mouthing _I love you_ , unable to help herself. But it was so worth it when she saw the wide grin that stayed on his face for most of the night… well at least until the conversation started to get awkward.

"So how did you two meet?" Iris asked Ray, interested to hear their story. It wasn't everyday that a friend was dating a billionaire. Then again, Felicity seemed to attract that sort of type.

"Work," Ray answered simply. " _Well_ , actually, I bought the company where Felicity was employed, and so she was forced to join me at Palmer Tech."

"It's not as creepy as it sounds," Felicity defended. Ray really did have a way with words.

"So you two work closely together?" Iris asked, and as soon as those words came out of her mouth, Eddie winced, knowing that the heat was going to come his way in a second.

"Mm-hmm," Felicity hummed.

"Interesting. I guess you guys share all of your thoughts and feelings and…" Iris trailed off and Eddie shot a look at Barry and Sophia, a cry for help.

"Yeah… I share everything with Felicity," Ray spoke with a look of realisation, looking at Felicity with a smile. He hadn't been that close with anyone in a long time, at least not since his fiancé died, and it was refreshing. He was really in love with Felicity.

"It's nice that you guys have that level of communication," Iris continued, her eyes quickly glancing over at Eddie.

"Oh, well, no, net every-everything," Ray said, stumbling on his words as Felicity shook her head lightly, trying to diffuse the situation. "I mean sometimes, it's good to just shut up."

"I get that," Eddie said, trying to get into the conversation now and defend himself. "Some things are better left unspoken."

"Really?" Iris questioned with an incredulous look as she turned to face her boyfriend. "I don't find that to be true."

"Oh, thank God. It's the food," Ray said, spotting the waiter in the distance.

"Foods here," Barry announced and Sophia threw him a nervous glance, scratching her neck awkwardly.

"Our first course on the tasting menu is a quail egg frittata. Bon appetit." The waiter said as they brought around a plate to each person.

The food had diffused the tension for now, but then Ray had gone onto mention how he was envious of Barry working at Star Labs with Harrison Wells. Proclaiming that he would have loved to work with him on such an intimate level. This obviously hit home for both Barry and Sophia, but she was able to keep her emotions in check, unlike Barry who left the room, saying he needed some air. Sophia moved instantly to go comfort him, but Felicity had already jumped up, saying she would handle it. Sophia reluctantly let her go, and hoped that he would be alright.

Sophia then spent the next few minutes prodding her food on the plate, not feeling up to eating all that much at the moment. Then the conversation turned to her.

"So Sophia, what's it like saving lives? I can imagine it's exhilarating," Ray said, and then he realised his mistake. He was referring to her as Sapphire, flying around and protecting people. It was only in that moment that he remembered that Iris wasn't in on the big secret.

"Yeah, it is. I mean, working as a nurse. Every day is a new challenge. I'm mainly work in paediatrics, but when I'm in ED, that's when things get all sorts of life-saving," Sophia covered herself quickly, planting a fake smile on her face, as she prayed that Iris wouldn't have picked up on anything… suspicious.

"Well, you're doing amazing work," Ray replied. "Hard work too."

"Thanks, Ray," Sophia said. "It's certainly rewarding. I love it, wouldn't change it for the world."

The conversation then morphed again, and things seemed to be going well as they enjoyed their meal and had small talk. Sophia was sure to keep the conversation going, asking Ray about his work at Palmer Tech, which had him rambling about their new discoveries in both their technological and scientific departments. But it just took one word to get both Eddie and Iris riled up again, when things had moved onto juggling work life and relationships. Ray had asked Sophia, how she and Barry managed to see each other with their busy work schedules and without divulging into too much information. Ray was genuinely intrigued considering Barry's background as a CSI, and Sophia's job as a nurse. He hadn't meant to cause trouble, but Iris had made a quip about it and then Eddie had responded, leading to the bickering contest they were currently an audience for.

"I think you better go fetch Felicity and Barry," Sophia said to Ray quietly, nodding her head in the direction of the room the two had escaped to for a private chat. He nodded before leaving the table to go get them.

"Please can't we just have a nice evening?" Eddie asked Iris.

"Okay, so it's my fault that we're not having a nice evening?" Iris threw out. "I am your girlfriend. Who you live with. I shouldn't have to beg you to talk to me."

"If I could talk to you about this, I would, believe me. But I can't," Eddie's strained voice came out as he pleaded his case to Iris. Sophia felt a pang of guilt, knowing that part of the reason they were fighting was because of her secret.

"You know what? I am not hungry anymore," Iris said, standing up.

" _Iris_."

"You know what? When you are ready to act like we are two people who love each other, call me. I'll be at my dad's," Iris said, storming out of the restaurant.

"Thank you for dinner. I've got to go," Eddie said to Ray, apologising for causing such a scene. Ray shook his head, giving Eddie a smile and saying that it was alright.

"Uh, emergency at Star Labs," Barry announced. "Soph, we gotta go."

"Go," Felicity urged. "We'll meet you tomorrow."

"Sorry," Sophia said, standing up to follow Barry back to base where there seemed to be a problem brewing.

* * *

The next day had rolled in faster than they had anticipated, and they were back in the lab, with new information that the supposed bees that were causing the attacks, spreading the apitoxin venom, were in fact, actually, robots.

Yes.

 _Robots_.

Sophia was surprised by this, but then realised that she shouldn't have been. After everything they had seen, robot bees that injected a deadly poison into a victim, and leaving the scene without being caught was, well, average.

She concluded that she felt this way because she had made a bet with Cisco that morning that the person controlling the bees was a meta-human that was able to send out some sort of chemo-signal to control the bees. Cisco had then made a bet that it was a computer freak with too much time and a bad vendetta for revenge on their hands. He had won the bet.

And he hadn't stopped talking about it for the last hour.

Sophia wanted to bang her head against the table repeatedly, and he could tell by her slouched shoulders as she sat on the chair, that she wanted to.

"I never pegged you as a sore loser," Cisco commented.

"I never pegged you as a bragging winner," Sophia threw back.

"Touchy," Cisco muttered under his breath.

Just as she was about to reply, Barry called her phone. He spoke to her quickly, letting her know that both himself, and Dr. Wells were going to go and speak with Christina McGee who had some information on the situation. Unless they found anything tonight, Barry said he would meet her back at her apartment.

"I'm gonna go meet Caitlin, see if we can get a lead on our queen bee," Sophia announced and both Ray and Cisco, waved her goodbye, not even looking up, too busy with their work on Ray's A.T.O.M suit.

Just as Sophia was walking up to the cortex, she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She took it out, seeing that it was from a number that wasn't on her phone. She contemplated whether she would answer it or not, but decided that she would.

"Sophia Lang, speaking," She answered.

"Sophia, it's Clark," Superman's steady voice came through the line.

"Clark, is everything alright?" Sophia asked. There would only be one reason he would be calling her, and she was trying not to panic.

"I need your help, once more it seems," Clark said. He had a plan to capture Amara and Ellain. He was fast enough to stop Ellain even though he possessed the power to travel through time, but combined with Amara was just calling it close, and he knew that it would just be giving Ellain another chance to escape.

He needed back-up on this one, and considering that his cousin Kara was busy with her own city to protect, he figured that Sapphire would be up for the job. She had already been accustomed to Amara's fighting style, and she knew the situation they would be heading into.

"I'll be there. We have a situation here, but I'm sure that The Flash will be able to handle it on his own," Sophia said.

"Thank you. You know where to meet me. Apologise to him for me, I don't mean to steal you away. But-"She cut him off.

"It's fine. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Sophia thought over the situation as she walked into the cortex. She needed to get suited up and fly over. If she was fast enough she would be able to help Superman finish this by the end of the day. She wasn't looking to spend an extended trip in Metropolis like she had a previously, no matter how much she enjoyed seeing her friends again. As she walked in she spotted Felicity and Barry talking.

"Mind if I steal Barry for a second?" Sophia interrupted their conversation. She would have waited for them to finish, but she needed to leave as soon as possible.

"Sure."

"There's a situation down in Metropolis, and I need to go," Sophia told Barry as Felicity moved to give them some privacy.

"What? Right now?" Barry asked with a raised brow. They were in the middle of a case.

"Yeah, I need to go, for Anna," Sophia said, and Barry nodded, immediately understanding. He figured that between his speed and Ray's suit, they'd be able to take down the queen bee without too much trouble. Honestly, he was more worried about Sophia's wellbeing. He had recalled her last tale of her encounter with Ellain and Amara, and he was concerned.

"Will you be able to handle this bee problem?" Sophia asked, and he scratched the back of his neck before nodding.

"I should be able to, plus Ray is here, and he's got his suit, so we'll be fine," Barry explained, and when he noted the look of hesitation on her face, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "We'll be fine. I am The Flash after all," Barry teased with a wink.

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can," Sophia promised.

"Please, be safe, and if you need help, don't hesitate to call me," Barry said, wrapping his arms around her.

"I will. I love you," Sophia said, gazing up at him.

"I love you, too," Barry said, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

* * *

It wasn't long til Sophia had arrived at Superman's Watchtower, reaching the door that led to the elevator with the ridiculous security measures. But then she realised that if they had precautions like these at Star Labs, they wouldn't have so many intruders, waltzing into their home base.

She entered the six-digit code, specifically made for her, into the door, pressing the button for the elevator. Once inside, the elevator did a complete biometric scan of her body, identifying that she was indeed Sophia Lang. She then spoke her name aloud, with her date of birth, and pressed her thumb on the pad that extended out of the console of the machine. Once it was confirmed that she was indeed herself, it took her up to the highest level of the building, Superman's main HQ.

Sophia was sad to see that Clark was all by himself. His friends that had been working with him previously were still not back. She wondered why, but decided not to pry into his personal business.

"Clark," She greeted, walking over and giving him a hug. Their relationship had certainly grown since the first time they had met. He had become a close friend, and she was so thankful that Anna had someone like him, protecting and watching over her.

"Sophia. Thank you for coming," Clark said with a smile before moving over to the computers, typing away.

"I've found a way to track Ellain and Amara, but I need your help. I won't be able to focus on them both at the same time."

"So, I take Amara and you take Ellain?" Sophia asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Precisely. It's going to be tricky, but I believe that we can do it. So what do you say? Let's get rid of the once and for all?"

"Let's do this."

After having gone over the plan in detail, both of them were suited up and ready to jump into the deep end.

They tracked them down to a small house, hidden in the woods, just on the outskirts of Metropolis. Sophia would be entering the scene first, not wanting to risk losing Superman again like they had previously when Amara had showed up with her kryptonite bullets. This time round, they were prepared for the worst.

Sophia descended, slowing down her pace as she landed on the footsteps of the cabin, careful not to make a sound. She had inspected it from above, as had Superman. Ellain and Amara were both inside, and there was no sign of anyone else on the property, or remotely nearby.

Sophia moved forward, hovering as she did so, not wanting to step on the wooden floors, and risk the old oak creaking beneath the pressure of her feet. Sophia, wanting to maintain her element of surprise, opened the door and flew into the room like a speeding bullet, revealing a much surprised Amara and Ellain who struggled to get into fighting positions so fast. Sophia had directly attacked Amara first, knowing that Ellain was impervious to her bubble-like containments.

Sophia's eyes glowed and her fists were electrified as they made contact with Amara's stomach, sending her crashing through the wall behind her as Sophia landed into a standing position.

"That felt too good," Sapphire commented with a smirk as Amara got back up. She wasn't worried at all about Ellain as she heard him flee from the scene, and turning to look back to see that Superman had the situation under control.

Amara stood up, holding onto the side of the wall for support, spitting out blood onto the floor in front of her.

"Is that all you've got?" Amara baited, taking a step forward, climbing through the giant whole in the wall.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it," Sophia said as she ducked, blocking a punch that was coming her way.

They continued the deadly dance, fighting ruthlessly as one tried to surpass the other. But they both seemed to have improved their skills since they last saw each other. Whatever Sophia threw at Amara, the girl would only throw back the same, if not harder. Sophia had managed to get in a lucky hit, a blast of energy colliding with Amara's chest, resulting in her banging her head on the wall, and sending her into a state of unconsciousness.

Sophia walked over cautiously, checking that Amara was actually knocked out. When she was satisfied, she moved outside to see Ellain fighting with Superman. Superman was using his heat vision against Ellain's own blast of yellow, surprising Sophia as she hadn't known the full extent of his powers.

"Need a little help, Superman?" She asked.

"It would be nice," He replied sarcastically, and Sophia closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on her energy, feeling it bubble up through her veins, before she allowed it to erupt from her fingertips, the cobalt energy spiralling out in one giant wave towards Ellain, who was now overpowered by the two superheroes. Ellain's form tumbled to the ground unceremoniously as he threw his hands up with what energy he had left, accepting defeat and surrendering himself.

Sophia took a step further, clenching her hand into a fist and pummelling Ellain's face, the punch knocking him out immediately.

"What was that for? He surrendered," Clark asked, unsure of why she had done that.

"That was for Anna," Sophia stated simply, tilting her head to look at him.

* * *

It wasn't much later til they had locked both Ellain and Amara up in Superman's own version of their Particle Accelerator prison. She was beyond relieved to see them finally behind bars, and nowhere near Anna.

"How is she?" Sophia asked.

"She's slowly remembering things, she's gotten past the stage of names, likes and dislikes. She's remembering events, memories… within a few more weeks, she should be back to normal. At least that's what the doctor says," Clark explained, placing his glasses back on his face now that they were both in their regular attire.

"That's great to hear. I'll have to come visit her sometime. I'm needed back in Central City. We've had some problems of our own as of late, and I've already been gone too long, I can't leave The Flash to run things by himself."

"Not a problem. I'd like to meet him someday, he sounds like an amazing man," Clark said.

"He is," Sophia replied. "I'm sure he would love it as well."

"Thank you for all your help." Clark gave her a warm smile and she returned the gesture.

"Likewise, Supes."

"Supes?" He questioned with a raised brow.

"It's a nickname," She grinned, shrugging her shoulders at his obvious distaste.

"A nickname for a nickname. Only you."

"See you later, give Anna a hug for me." Sophia yelled as she flew out of the roof of Watchtower, waving goodbye, ready to get set on the journey back home, praying that the team had managed to handle the bee fiasco they had been dealing with, and hoping that Barry had managed to contain his emotions in regards to Dr. Wells. She had a feeling that things were just going to get worse.

* * *

Sophia had found herself back in Barry's lab at the CPPD. They had been going over evidence against Dr. Wells for the past hour, and seemed to be going nowhere. She was absolutely bored out of her mind, and it was starting to show. Her head was slumped in her hand as she stared at the same page, over and over, trying to find something that they could use, but alas, there was nothing. He had certainly done a good job of keeping his tracks clean. Barry glanced over, noticing her slumped posture, and the look of pure agony on her face as she forced herself to turn the page, and soldier on. He smiled lightly, glad that he had someone who loved him enough to put the effort in. He knew that it was hard, especially considering that they were investigating someone that they had cared about, someone they had trusted.

Barry looked at the clock, noting that Cisco and Caitlin would be there in twenty minutes, and Joe at least another fifteen at the earliest. He decided that they both needed a break. He walked over, standing behind the stool she was currently sitting on, and placed his hands on her shoulders, starting to slowly massage her neck, moving his hands down to her shoulders in a pinching motion as his fingers gripped her shoulders, the pressure releasing the stress in her posture. Her head lolled forward as she moaned, relaxing under his touch. He moved his hands faster, this time at his Flash speed, and she shivered, feeling more awake now than ever. It had honestly been the best massage she had ever received.

She turned around, silently, looking up at him, and dragging his face down to her own, wrapping her arms gently around his neck as their lips locked, continuing to develop their passionate embrace. They were both enjoying themselves, and the distraction that it offered, kissing away their worries…that was until Cisco had messaged, Barry's beeping phone interrupting them. They broke apart, reluctantly, and Barry groaned as he read the message, causing Sophia to laugh at his reaction. He was trying to make up for lost time over the last few days and she wasn't complaining at all.

"They're going to be here soon," Barry said, checking the message from Cisco. "Do you think we're making the right choice?"

"Do you honestly need to ask me that question?" She asked, gazing up at him, her eyes twinkling with mirth. They had just fought over this very matter a few days ago, surely he hadn't forgotten her stand point just yet.

"No," Barry answered, pecking her lips once more.

"It'll be fine. They are our friends, we can trust them."

"I've told him that about a billion times, but it doesn't seem to calm his nerves," Joe said, walking into the lab. He too, was now on board with the idea. This was the only way they were going to even get close to justice, if they worked together as a team.

A moment later, Cisco and Caitlin walked into the room, and everyone's expressions seemed to tense up.

"All right, all right, who's ready for some _karaoke_ ," Cisco said in a sing song tone before realising the stiff sight before him.

"We are not going to karaoke, are we?" Caitlin asked, catching onto things faster than Cisco had.

"No," Sophia said, and then she looked to Barry, letting him take the reign.

"This," He began, pulling up the screen that covered the board that had been filled to the brim with information and evidence against the Reverse Flash and Nora Allen's murder. "Is everything we know about my mother's murder and The Reverse-Flash. I've been gathering information on him for a long time."

Barry then moved and pulled down a sheet covering another whiteboard, this time, the one with the evidence against Dr. Wells.

"And this is everything we know about Dr. Wells."

There was a tense silence and Sophia glanced at Barry wearily when Cisco and Caitlin froze.

"I don't understand. What do, Dr. Wells and The Reverse-Flash have to do with each other?" Caitlin asked.

"They're the same person," Sophia stated simply, and she noticed how Cisco tensed up at her words.

"That's impossible," Caitlin scoffed, crossing her arms defensively.

"Look, Caitlin, it took me a long time to believe it too, but it's him."

"Dr. Wells is a speedster? He's paralysed," She spat out, disgusted at what they were insinuating.

"Is he, though?" Joe threw in and Cisco froze at his words. The vision from this morning flashed before his eyes as he remembered Wells standing up, walking around normally. He could feel that something wasn't right here.

"And why would he kill Barry's mother? It doesn't make any sense. Cisco, say something," Caitlin protested, urging them to see reason. It was silent for a moment as Caitlin raised a brow at Cisco, waiting for his input on the situation.

"I've been having these dreams. Mostly at night, but sometimes during the day. But they don't really feel like dreams. They…they feel…real," Cisco started, his voice nearly cracking as he spoke. Sophia frowned at Cisco's fearful demeanour. It was unusual to see him this…afraid.

"What happens in the dream?" Barry asked, taking a step forward as his eyes locked onto Cisco's.

"Dr. Wells is The Reverse-Flash. And… he kills _us_ ," Cisco said, and Barry looked over at Sophia who was frowning in confusion. Barry turned his head back to Cisco. He was sure that Cisco had glanced over at Sophia when he said the word 'us'.

"Kills _who_?" Joe asked, straightening up, preparing for Cisco's answer.

"Sophia and I. He kills us both."

* * *

 **A/N – I am such a tease ending it on this note. But I live for the drama! Hope it didn't turn out weird by having Sophia head over to Metropolis mid-way. I was having writer's block, and I didn't want her there in CC for the end of the episode, so I thought of throwing some Superman & Sapphire tag team in at the end. **

**I thought it would be nice to have a little angst, but I didn't want to outright, write the fight between Barry and Sophia, but instead the aftermath. This way you get sort of all sides of what happened…ish. Hope that it turned out alright.**

 **There was a drop in reviews last chapter.** **But still, thanks to everyone who did review. Hope this chapter was better than the last. Review away please.**

 **Can you believe that there are only around 5 more chapters until this story is finished?! How insane is that? In the process of writing the last two chapters. I go on work placement in a few weeks and so if I haven't finished the last two chapters before that, there might be a delay in one or two updates, not by long though.**

 **Also, I am super excited to go watch Batman v. Superman next week. I know it's been out for at least two weeks now, but I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance.**

 **Replies:**

 **CRAZYJAMES1: Thank you! Sorry this update came a tad late. I've been super busy and I know its only a few hours different but I feel bad.**

 **RHatch89: Thanks for your review, it made me smile.**

 **Turtlekier42: Thanks gorgeous! Hope you liked this one just as much.**

 **CuteGlasses: Awww, you flatter me too much! Yes, all the drama is building up, and as you can see in this chapter there was plenty of tension to go around.**

 **Natalie: They were fighting this chapter, BUT that being said I did manage to throw in a few flirty/fluffy little bits here and there. Glad that you liked it, and there's some more Superman & Sapphire for you as well, and the name drop of KARA. So things are slowly easing in. I loved the crossover episode as well, but for the purpose of this fic, Superman and Supergirl co-exist in the same universe as The Flash, rather than in the show where they are in two different universes that are sort of parallel to each other. Love your reviews as always.**

 **Shadowshunter12: I am so glad! I really want everyone to see HOW in love they are, it's just more fun when I do things like this and torture them by making them have fights, or heart attacks etc. Well, they have to keep the charade up, and if that means having to leave her alone with Wells, well it's gonna happen. YES. Glad that you picked up on that, it will come into play later on a little bit. When things start to piece together, she remembers that moment and is like "DUH". But that's a bit of a spoiler alert. I had to have something different, also, I just loved writing that line so much, I felt like I really embodied James Jesse in that moment, it was great. I wanted Barry to have a bit of alone time with his dad, I mean, it's not every day your criminal father gets kidnapped from prison. This chapter had a lot more Eddie than any of my other ones and I loved it. Eddie is such a sweetie and I love him to bits and I regret not adding more of him in my earlier chapters, I got too carried away with Sophia's relationships with everyone else that I didn't get to develop them enough. But from now on, I will make up for it! Loved your review as usual, and hope you enjoyed this chapter. X**

 **Ms.O'Leary: I MISSED YOU. The last few chapters have been lonely without you, but it's so great to hear from you. Glad that you enjoyed this one, and I totally get what you mean about being busy etc. I've been running around like mad, and the next few weeks are only going to get more intense for me. There's a bit more Superman & Sapphire in this, so I am really glad that you mentioned them. Awww, yeah I admit that I cried when I wrote that too… it was really sad, but it had to be done. Hope this chapter didn't screw you up too much. I just wanted some raw angst in the mix. Yes, things are slowly unravelling, and they just told Cisco and Caitlin about their theory that Wells is the man in the yellow suit. It's gonna be exciting to see how it all pans out. Thank you again for the lovely review. Excited to hear from you soon! Take care. X**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	24. Everyman

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Sophia was situated on the couch, her legs curled up comfortably beneath her body, as she sat there silently, lost in thought. She felt like she had been on edge for the last twenty-four hours or so, unsure of what to do, what to think, what to say.

Cisco had dropped the preverbal bomb on them last night, claiming that Wells had killed herself and Cisco, in a dream. It didn't make sense.

It was just a dream right?

Wrong.

But at this point in time, she didn't have the evidence to prove it, just a gut feeling that something was not right. She thought about what they believed was happening with Wells, how they knew that something was up, that somehow he was linked to the Reverse-Flash or was the Reverse-Flash, but she didn't see how Cisco's dream of them getting killed matched up with reality. It had obviously never happened, otherwise she wouldn't be here, but there was a part of her chest that ached every time the thought crossed her mind, and she knew in her heart that it couldn't be a coincidence. Before she had more time to drown herself, in her desperate thoughts, Eddie spoke, breaking the silence that filled the living room.

"Where's Barry?" Eddie asked as he sat on Joe's couch, a beer in hand and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. It had been a long day at the office, not to mention in regards to his relationship with Iris at the moment, and all he wanted to do was finish this meeting and go home to catch some restless sleep.

"He should be here any second. I sent him out for-," Joe spoke, but Barry interrupted as he arrived with two steaming boxes of pizza in his hands that he settled down on the coffee table. As soon as Barry arrived, Sophia perked up, moving to sit in a normal position on the couch, a feeling of relief, relaxing her shoulders in an instant.

"Pizza!" Barry exclaimed with a smile, plopping down on the couch next to Sophia and leaning over to open the box that contained the steamy goodness of melted cheese, and her favourite toppings.

"What? From Coast City?" Eddie asked incredulously as he eyed the packaging.

"Supposedly, the best in the west."

"What he means is, that he gets it for me every Friday night, and they practically know our order off by heart," Sophia corrected, placing a quick kiss on Barry's cheek before grabbing her own slice of pizza, piling two on top of each other like a pizza sandwich.

"What are you doing?" Cisco asked with an incredulous look as he watched Sophia.

"If you pile them on like this, it confuses your body into think it's only one slice," Sophia joked, sending a wink his way as she took a bite of the delicious cheesy goodness that this pizza was. Barry laughed at Sophia's logic, and she smiled, glad that she was able to lighten the mood a little. Not only did it get rid of the solemn mood that seemed to follow them all around like a lost shadow, but it also made him feel relaxed, and not so tense about the current situation.

"Why did I not think of this before? Come to papa." But she was pretty sure Cisco meant it in terms of the pizza coming from Central City, not her little jest.

"Caitlin?" Barry asked, holding out the box to her, receiving the shake of her head in response.

"I'm not hungry," She stated stiffly, and Sophia's appetite suddenly died as she noticed her friends discomfort, and anger at the situation they were currently stuck in.

"Okay, six months of investigating Harrison Wells has led us nowhere, so we're going back to the beginning to see what we can find out," Joe said pacing the room.

"What does that mean?" Caitlin asked, taking a step forward.

"Road trip, baby," Cisco said, high-fiving Joe.

"Joe and Cisco are going to go to Starling City," Barry informed, clearing up the air.

"Starling City? What for?"

"To investigate the car accident that Dr. Wells was in with Tess Morgan, 15 years ago."

"I… I don't understand. Why?" Caitlin was unsure of what their aim was.

"Dr. McGee said that after Well's accident, he became like a complete stranger. Just a different person entirely," Barry explained.

"Because the love of his life died? You of all people understand how grief can change a person," Caitlin threw at Barry, causing his expression to drop. Sophia immediately turned her head to glare at Caitlin. Yes it was true, but it was a low blow. All the signs were pointing to something being wrong, and they needed to get down to the bottom of it.

"Caitlin, we have to believe that Dr. Wells is The Reverse-Flash and killed Barry's mother, and he may have done the same thing to Tess Morgan."

"We have to learn everything about that night. See where it leads us," Barry spoke up this time, thankful for having Joe to help knock some sense into Caitlin.

"Oh, um, can you cover for me with Dr. Wells?" Cisco asked.

"You mean lie?" Caitlin corrected, crossing her arms.

"Yeah," Cisco hummed, not seeing the problem.

"I need some air," Caitlin said, throwing on her coat, and walking out the front door of the West household. Both Eddie and Sophia watched with wide eyes and Barry was the first to react.

"Woah…hey, Caitlin," Barry called out.

"Doesn't look like Caitlin's with us," Joe commented, and his words seemed to match all of their worried thoughts… except for Barry it seemed. He still had hope.

"No, she's with us. I'll talk to her," Barry reassured everyone, walking outside to follow Caitlin.

"What do you want us to do here?" Eddie asked, unsure of his role in the matter. He didn't have superpowers, and he wasn't going to Starling City to investigate, so he didn't exactly know what he was supposed to be doing… besides lying to the love of his life.

"Business as usual while we're gone," Joe informed Eddie. All he had to do was go to work, and go home… and keep lying to Iris. Joe could see the toll it was taking on their relationship, but protecting his daughter from the dangers of this truth, of the knowledge that they had was more important to him than anything.

"Copy that," Sophia threw in with a smile. She had already planned out her week, writing down her to do list on her calendar, and circling all the important things she needed to do. It mainly consisted of cardio, work, superhero work and making sure to face-time with her father before his birthday, she needed a hint as to what he wanted as a gift. It was hard to find something meaningful and exciting for someone who had everything he needed. She was thinking of buying him a ticket to Central City, so that he could come and stay for a few days. She knew that the family bonding time would be nice, and it would be great for everyone else to meet him, but with the suspicion surrounding Dr. Wells, she wasn't sure it was the safest idea… at least not yet.

"Well, I want to wish you good luck over there, but I'm also scared of what you might find."

"Scared is a good thing. Scared keeps us alive."

* * *

Eddie was at the station the following day, sitting in the interrogation room as he looked over the evidence in front of him, and then back up at the lady sitting down across the table, who looked visibly shaken. He was sure that it was because of her nerves, but he knew that they had also put the air-con on way too high, and it was beginning to become uncomfortably cold in the room. He ignored this fact, opening the folder in front of him, and flipping to the section that contained the photographic evidence he needed. He pressed the button on the remote, playing a video on the small screen he had in the room. Both Eddie and the suspect watched it carefully, and he heard her gasp as she watched it the second time round.

" _So_ , let's go over this again," Eddie said with an unsure voice. "This is you on the surveillance footage, correct?" Eddie asked, and the suspect named Nina, slumped further into her chair as she viewed the video before her, fear welled up in her chest as she watched the impossible before her eyes.

"It looks like me. B-but it's not me. I left work early yesterday. Ask my husband," Nina pleaded. She had gone home early, but according to the security cameras placed at her office, she had broken into a safety deposit box and stole from a client.

"Footage doesn't lie. Your husband might," Eddie countered and Nina's face went red. Out of embarrassment or anger, Eddie wasn't sure.

"That's not me," She pressed on again. She hadn't done anything wrong.

Eddie shook his head, closing the file and taking it with him as he walked out of the interrogation room without uttering another word and into the back where Barry had been watching through the two-way mirrored glass. It just didn't make sense. Then again, life lately didn't make sense.

"No priors, no arrests, not even a speeding ticket," Eddie said, throwing the file onto the desk, and slipping off his jacket. He was starting to get irritated. "And everyone who knows this woman- co-workers, neighbours, say she's the kindest, nicest, most honest woman they've ever met. So, unless she woke up this morning and out of nowhere decided to become a criminal…" Eddie trailed off. He knew that there was only one conclusion.

"Maybe we should be looking for a meta-human," Barry said and Eddie nodded. Eddie knew that Joe had said to do Business as usual, and this sort of fit into that category, so he would make sure to aid Barry in the hunt for the person behind this.

"Yeah."

"One that can control people's minds. Coerce them into becoming thieves."

"Is that possible?" Eddie asked. He wasn't sure how the whole meta-human thing worked, even though he had gotten a quick download of information from Sophia, it was still all confusing and confronting.

"Is that a real question?" Barry asked sarcastically and Eddie rolled his eyes, knowing that he should have seen it coming.

The two walked back to their desks, trying to hunt down some more information to fuel their investigation. They needed more data on Nina and her whereabouts that day, hoping that they would find the slightest bit of evidence that could give them a lead, or Nina an alibi.

"Hey Barry," Iris greeted, surprising them both. Eddie wasn't prepared to see her. In fact, he hadn't seen her for over three days now, and he was struggling to come to terms with the fact that their relationship was hanging by a thread.

"Hey," Barry said, trying not to think about the fact that Iris was completely ignoring Eddie because of the burden he had placed on the cop.

"Have you, um, seen my dad?" Iris asked. She had tried to call, but his phone just went to voicemail, and she hadn't seen him at breakfast this morning. "Captain Singh says he took a couple of days off, and he hasn't been home."

"I didn't ask," Barry lied, knowing that if he had mentioned that Joe went to Starling City, a whole new set of questions would have come his way.

"Apparently he's taking a couple of personal days," Iris commented, holding the strap of her handbag tighter. Her father hadn't told her where he was going, she barely saw Barry at home these days considering he was over at Sophia's and her and Eddie weren't on the best of terms lately. That added in with the stresses from work, she felt like she was alone right now, and it was not the greatest feeling.

"Like father, like daughter, I guess," Eddie said, without thinking, not realising the menacing tone he had used. His anger had gotten the better of him and he had blurted it out without processing it first.

Iris just looked at him like he had slapped her.

"I'm sorry," He said quickly, trying to fix his mistake. "When are you coming home?"

"When it starts to feel like a home again." Her harsh tone, matched with the death glare she was currently sporting, was enough to break his heart, setting a tonne of guilt on his shoulders. She walked away, not even bothering with a goodbye and Barry turned to Eddie, giving him a sympathetic look.

"You better pray Joe and Cisco find something on Wells at that accident site, Barry. Because I am just about done lying to Iris. About all of this," Eddie said through gritted teeth, his face steaming as he moved to go get some fresh air.

"Yeah," Barry said, unsure of what words to use to comfort him. He knew how terrible it felt to be fighting with someone you loved, and he felt horrible for having to put Eddie and Iris through this unnecessary pain.

* * *

Sophia walked into the cortex to hear Caitlin and Barry arguing, about Dr. Wells to be specific. Sophia looked around nervously, hoping that Dr. Wells wasn't nearby, but was met with the sound of his chair wheeling down the hall.

She shot into the room, eager to change the conversation since Dr. Wells was right behind her, but he had picked up on their last few words.

"Proof? Proof of what?" Dr. Wells interjected as he rolled into the room just behind Sophia.

"W-We may have another meta-human case on our hands," Barry threw in, saving the day with his quick tongue.

"Ah. We are always happy to help, Barry, as you know."

"Of course," Sophia sighed, relieved that he seemed to buy it.

"Have you heard from Cisco? He hasn't arrived yet," Dr. Wells asked and Sophia's eyes drifted to Caitlin, hoping that she would pull through with Cisco's request.

"Uh, he has to help Dante, his brother. He might need a few days off," Caitlin told Dr. Wells and he nodded, saying how it was no issue.

"Eddie," Barry answered his phone, grabbing Sophia's attention. "Be right there." And with that Barry was gone in a flash.

"He must be after the guy from the bank," Sophia said, having heard from Barry that morning about the weird case on their hands. She made it to the computer quickly, typing away, and tracking Barry' suit to see where in the city he was. Caitlin then suggested that they bring up the video footage from traffic cameras, but there didn't seem to be any with a direct view.

"Well, that was new," They heard Barry's voice murmur across the comm.

* * *

"A shape-shifter?" Sophia questioned and Barry nodded in response.

"Yeah, I literally saw a grown man, like, morph into a teenage girl," Barry said, shaking his head at the end of that sentence. It was incredible, but terrifying at the same time. He wondered just how many people this man had morphed into, he had never seen anything like this before.

"That's fascinating," Dr. Wells commented.

"Not to mention creepy," Sophia cringed, trying not to think about it.

"Today's physicists have always regarded programmable matter as nothing more than a theory, but I guess your shape-shifter proves it can be done."

" _Wait_ , so he, or she, or I… whatever," Barry said giving up with trying to find the correct term. "This person can actually transform into anyone they touch?"

"It appears so," Dr. Wells said. "That includes you, Mr. Allen, and Ms. Lang," Dr. Wells said, basically giving them a warning. Sophia nodded understanding his words. If this Meta touched them, they would replicate them, and most probably their powers as well. Just because she despised Wells at the moment, didn't mean she wouldn't take his advice seriously. She knew that he was incredibly intelligent, and whatever his plans, he had protected them and guided them up until this point.

"Dr. Wells is right. If you are touched while you're the Flash, or you as Sapphire," Caitlin began, "and he transforms into you, we run the risk of him exposing your true identities."

"Well, my first thought would have been that he could replicate our abilities," Sophia threw in, turning a light pink, not even having thought that if they were in their super-suits that this Meta would be able to uncover their identity.

"At this point we don't know if the shape-shifter is capable of absorbing more than just your physical characteristics, so…"

"Got it. Hands off the meta-human," Barry said, catching onto what Caitlin was getting at.

"Right," Sophia said. "So exactly how do you find someone who can transform into anyone?"

"Like any problem, you just go back to the beginning. In this case, that would mean finding the first person the shape-shifter morphed into when they discovered their powers."

"Yeah, can you pull up the CCPD records of where cases where the perpetrator plead innocent, even though they were caught on camera committing the crime?" Barry asked.

"You're good, Barry Allen. You're very good."

Sophia smirked as she sat at the computer, running the search through the database, just like Felicity had shown her. Within a few minutes she had a whole list of names, with dates and times. They just needed to narrow it down now.

"Look at this," Sophia pointed out, and Barry leaned over her shoulder to take a closer look.

"Multiple crimes of this manner all dating back to a month after the particle accelerator explosion."

"And the first one was?" Dr. Wells asked.

"Jacob Fisher. A teller at the Federal Credit Union. Claims that he was innocent and was framed by his best friend, a Hannibal Bates."

"I'll pass this along to the CCPD, see if they can track him down," Barry said, moving towards the door.

"I'll come with you," Sophia added, jumping from her seat, eager to leave Star Labs. She didn't feel comfortable staying in Dr. Wells vicinity by herself just yet.

She spent the rest of the afternoon with Barry in his lab at the CCPD. They enjoyed each other's company, and while Barry focused on trying to find out who this shape-shifter was, Sophia was covertly going over the evidence against Dr. Wells. She also went back on the data she had found the previous week, the video footage of Wells rolling down the same hallway at 7pm. It couldn't be a coincidence and she knew that it was somehow connected to this. She made sure to save a copy to go over later, but for now she would just keep a close eye on things.

* * *

Sophia was now sitting on the soft beige rug in front of her TV, with a few boxes of take out before her, and a two glasses of wine on her coffee table. Barry said that he had to check up on something and that he would be back in a flash, as he usually was. But this time, he had been gone for a good ten minutes or so, and when he arrived back, he had brought a very angry Caitlin along with him.

The rush of air and momentum that he had brought with him, sent the two glasses of red wine flying and Sophia caught them both in energy bubbles, the liquid splashing against the cobalt encasing.

"Thanks for the notice, Barr," Sophia huffed, taking the levitating glasses and liquid over to her sink where she dropped it in the sink, preventing a disaster. She had previous encounters with wine stained rugs, and she wasn't ready to repeat it any time soon.

"Not that I'm not happy to see Caitlin, what exactly is going on?" Sophia questioned as she turned around. Caitlin was fuming, and her face was red.

"What… are you spying on me now?" Caitlin nearly yelled, her wild red curls bouncing about.

"Caitlin, what were you doing at Wells' house?" Barry asked firmly.

"Wait, you went to his house?" Sophia interjected and Caitlin turned to look at her and then back at Barry. "That's like the worst idea you could have come up with Caitlin."

"I was gonna talk to him and get some answers of my own." The red-head crossed her arms, jutting her chin out towards Barry, trying to keep a strong stance.

"You can't. You cannot talk to him," Barry said.

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to stand by and watch all of you ruin this man's life? Ruin my life?" Caitlin asked, her tongue sharp.

"What are you talking about "your life"?"

"I lost my reputation, my fiancé, and through all of that, Harrison Wells stood by my side. He told me everything was going to be okay," Caitlin said, her voice cracking slightly. Sophia wanted to feel guilty for making her feel this way, but when her thoughts flittered back to what she had seen with her own eyes, to the evidence, to what Cisco had said… she couldn't bring herself to feeling bad. "If Dr. Wells is who you say he is, everything I've done since the minute I stepped foot into Star Labs has been a lie."

"Caitlin," Barry's voice softened. "If I am right about all of this, and you tell him what's been going on, I'll never be able to get my dad out of prison."

It was silent for a moment, all of them staring at each other. If Sophia was being honest with herself, she felt quite awkward in this situation.

"If not for me, just do it for him."

"I can't believe you're pulling the dad card. That's dirty pool, Barry," Caitlin said, and both Barry and Sophia cracked a smile.

"You know he's never been one to play fair," Sophia chided in, and Caitlin's expression softened even further as she looked over at her friend. Caitlin's thoughts then replayed what Cisco had said from the other day. If they were right, in an alternative universe, Wells had killed Cisco and Sophia.

"Just until Joe and Cisco get back."

"I can do that," Caitlin said, and Sophia walked up to her, bringing her in a big hug.

"Thank you Caitlin."

They ended up only having enough time to devour a few forkfuls of noodles in front of them, because Barry and Sophia had received a call from Eddie saying that he had a lead on Hannibal Bates, and an address that they could visit. She left Caitlin to hang out in her apartment, until she felt like returning home.

Sophia pulled on her black bomber jacket, and slipped her feet into her jogging shoes, having a feeling that she would need them tonight. She had insisted on going with Barry and Eddie to check it out, even though they were going in as themselves, and Barry not as The Flash, or herself as Sapphire.

"Turns out Hannibal Bates hasn't been seen in well over a year," Eddie told Barry and Sophia as they pulled up into the driveway of the address he had procured. "Only remaining relative is his grandmother."

"She took out a missing person's report a couple of days after the Jacob Fisher arrest. Figure we could ask her a few questions."

"Like why anyone in their family thought that naming a kid Hannibal wouldn't mean he'd grow up to become a criminal?" Barry said causing Sophia and Eddie to both laugh.

"You're not doing too better, Bartholomew," Sophia commented, sending a wink his way as he blushed.

"No fair," Barry said with pursed lips and she laughed quietly as they walked up the steps to the house. They were escorted inside, and all three of them were squished on the small couch, Sophia in the middle of the man sandwich. Her eyes darted around the room, landing on a photo that was sitting on the table next to the couch, but she was brought out of her thoughts when Eddie spoke.

"Have you heard from your grandson, Hannibal, recently, Mrs. Bates?" Eddie asked.

"Recently?" She asked with a hint of confusion.

"Uh-huh."

"No. Why do you ask?" Her tone came out quite harsh, something Sophia picked up on. She watched the old lady with careful eyes now, not buying her act when she then softened her tone and asked politely again why.

"Because you filed a missing person's report over a year ago," Barry said awkwardly.

"Oh, yes, I certainly did. You'll have to forgive me, Detective. My memory is not quite as it used to be."

"Of course," Eddie replied politely.

"Uh, neither apparently are my manners. May I get you something? Coffee, tea?" She asked, standing up from her seat.

"Uh, no thank you, ma'am. We're fine," Barry insisted.

"Oh, please. It'll only take a minute. It's nice to have visitors," Mrs. Bates said, and they all looked at each other awkwardly… they had no choice really.

"Coffee would be nice," Sophia said quickly.

"Thanks," Eddie said and Mrs. Bates gave them a smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Ma'am, would you happen to have a recent photograph of Hannibal?"

"Ma'am?" Eddie's voice rang out again without a response.

"She's gone," Sophia said, walking back into the living room, seeing the kitchen empty. It had to be Hannibal.

"I'll take the front," Barry said, and both Eddie and Sophia moved to follow through the back.

Sophia knowing that she didn't have a mask on, she would have to run like a normal person. No flying, and no super powers.

"Great," She muttered to herself, taking another route through a neighbour's backyard, hoping to cut Hannibal off while Eddie pursed him directly head on. She climbed over fence after fence until she finally found an alley way, spotting Hannibal running straight through.

"Got you now." She pumped her legs faster, hearing police sirens the closer she got. She saw Eddie standing in the middle of the road, and no Hannibal in sight. Before she could say anything, her eyes glanced over to the cop car, where she saw a body peeking out of the side door that was stained with blood. She then noticed the gun in Eddie's hand, and she had just enough time to duck out of the way as he fired at her. The bullets went whizzing past her, one just missing her torso, and the other lightly grazing her hand as she moved, only applying enough pressure to slice the skin on her palm, giving her a small cut.

This was obviously Hannibal Bates standing before her, knowing that Eddie would never do something like this. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the realisation that she couldn't use her powers set in. Hannibal had seen her face, and unless she wanted to broadcast her identity to the world, she couldn't do a thing. She hesitantly took a step back, unsure of what she could do next when there was a rush of wind. Barry had rushed in, picking her up in his arms and moving her to a safe distance on the other side of the car, away from the bullets that were flying about. But by the time he had ran back, Hannibal bates was gone, eluding them once again.

The two police officers has been shot point blank, and even with Sophia on the scene a minute later, her hands pressing down on their wounds as Eddie called 911, Barry had to pull her away as she tried to resuscitate one of the cops, holding her tight as they watched the two dead members of the CCPD lay on the cold concrete ground.

Sophia had tunnel vision as she starred back at her blood stained hands and the police officers on the ground. She swore that she would take Hannibal Bates down. He was no longer just a thief with abilities. He was a murderer.

* * *

"I know what this looks like, Cecile," Captain Singh tried to explain to the DA. He was having trouble believing this himself, but he wasn't just going to sit by whilst one of his best detectives was thrown into Iron Heights for something he didn't do.

"It looks like one of your detectives shot two of your cops, both of whom are dead."

"That's _not_ what happened."

"David, I am the district attorney. I can't ignore what I just watched because you want me to."

"We both know there are things going on in this city that can't be explained," Captain Sign pressed forward. They all knew that The Flash existed, and with that came a whole other range of possibilities.

"Come on, David. Until you show me something incontrovertible, the best that I can do is promise to keep him out of gen pop at Iron Heights," Cecile said, crossing her arms. She had watched the video, she knew what she saw and what David was telling her were two different things, but she had to stick with the facts, stick with the evidence. And the evidence pointed to Detective Thawne being responsible for the death of two cops.

"If I told you it wasn't him, would you believe me?" Sophia interjected, bursting into the room, not a care in the world. She wasn't supposed to be here. She didn't have clearance to be here, but she was going to do it anyway.

Captain Singh looked to Sophia with frustration, and he was about to berate her for being here in the first place, but Cecile got to the chase first.

"David, please give me a moment with my god daughter," Cecile said, crossing her arms, her black blazer tightening as she did so.

"Right," He replied, moving out of the room and bumping straight into Allen.

"Do you have any way to explain this, Allen?" Captain Singh asked.

"I'm working on it."

"Also, tell your girlfriend not to walk in unannounced next time." The Captain pointed out and Barry nodded, flushing red in embarrassment for a second. Barry didn't move into the room, just took a quick glance through the glass as he watched Sophia talk with Cecile animatedly. She had spoken of her godmother Cecile before, he just didn't know that she was the DA. It was like a new surprise with her every day.

He didn't have enough time to dwell on what Sophia might have been conversing with Cecile about in regards to Eddie, because a panicked Iris arrived and he had another problem to deal with now.

"Sophia what are you doing here?" Cecile asked with a quizzical look.

"It's my day off," Sophia said swiftly, jumping into the conversation she knew that Cecile didn't want to have.

"Eddie is innocent. I was there, is saw it happen with my own eyes. It was a man named Hannibal Bates, he shape-shifted into Eddie and shot those cops."

"That's ridiculous," Cecile scoffed. "Even if it was true, there's no evidence. I can't just drop the charges."

"We're working on that."

"We're?" She asked with a raised brow.

"I mean, my boyfriend, Barry, the CSI," Sophia rambled, scratching the back of her neck as she flushed with embarrassment. She realised that she hadn't really told her godmother that her boyfriend was Barry Allen… then again, she hadn't seen her in quite some time… and at that point they weren't an item. "He's working on it."

"Listen, I know you mean best, I know that Eddie is your friend, but unless I can get some cold hard evidence in the next 24 hours, then he's going to be locked up in Iron Heights… indefinitely," Cecile said, placing her hand on Sophia's shoulder.

"Just give us some time," Sophia pleaded. She knew that with the video evidence they would be able to have Eddie behind bars within a few hours, seeing as though she was the DA. Cecile paused for a moment, taking in the sight of her god daughter, and her expression softened slightly. She had heard of The Flash, and the Sapphire Knight of Central City, and she knew that in this city, weird things tended to happen. But she could only be so lenient before it was seen as ignorance.

"48 hours is the best I can do. After that he needs to be processed."

"Thank you," Sophia breathed out and Cecile gave her a small smile before walking out of the room, leaving Sophia determined to solve the case.

* * *

She met up with Caitlin a little while later, trying to work on a way to sort this mess out. They were happy to hear that at least Barry had managed to get the GSR swab done, indicating that Eddie's hands were completely free of lead, barium and antimony meaning that he hadn't fired the two bullets that killed those cops.

But even then her godmother wouldn't budge. The video evidence still said otherwise. But they still had their now 43 hours and counting to catch Hannibal Bates.

Caitlin and Sophia were now on their way to the West household to pick Barry up since he wasn't answering his phone. Sophia knocked on the front door, tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat and waiting for Barry to answer.

"Barry, it's Soph," She called through the door. He opened it a second later, tilting his head as he looked at Sophia in a weird way. She wasn't sure what it was, but something was off about Barry. But she ignored it, figuring that it must have been all the stress from what was going on with Eddie. It was eerily similar to what happened to his father, and it was probably bringing up unsavoury memories.

"Hello… _it's you_." What Sophia hadn't picked up on was that Barry was actually Hannibal Bates right now, and he was surprised to see the girl that he had shot at the previous night before, appearing before him.

"Um, yeah. I told you I would be coming to get you at four, remember?" She said walking inside, Caitlin following her lead.

"It slipped my mind," Barry said, running a hand through his hair nervously.

"That's alright. Caitlin here, has some great news," Sophia said, with a smile, turning to look at the Red-Head, not noticing the lustful stare that Barry had thrown the doctor which would have been the first sign that it was not Barry Allen in that body.

"I think I figured out a way to stop our shapeshifter from morphing into other people," Caitlin announced with an excited smile.

"Oh, really?" He asked, now more focused on her words than her looks.

"What if I create a serum that will terminate the polymerisation reaction, essentially forcing the bonds to revert to their original form, stopping him from being able to control his power?" Caitlin mused.

"You can do that?" He asked bewildered.

"It's Caitlin Snow, she can do anything," Sophia pointed out with a laugh.

"Okay," Barry said in an unsure voice.

"What's wrong with you?" Sophia asked. Why was he acting so weird? "Are you feeling alright?" Sophia pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. She frowned. He didn't have a temperature, he wasn't ill...so why was his behaviour unusual?

"Nothing."

"Look, about last night, I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. I mean, I know how desperate you are to solve your mom's murder, but let's just bury the hatchet and we'll go back to Star Labs, figure out how to catch this everyman," Caitlin said and Sophia smiled, happy that her friends were getting along after their fight.

"Everyman?" Barry questioned, a look of contemplation on his face.

"Bad nickname?" Caitlin asked and Sophia shook her head.

"No, it's not bad," Sophia commented.

"No. I kinda like it," He commented with a smirk.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road," Sophia said, and they all moved out, piling into Caitlin's car as they drove to Star Labs, ready to catch this Everyman.

* * *

Upon arrival, Sophia had moved down to the kitchens to make them all some coffee, noting that Barry looked a bit off his game. She figured that he might have been a bit hungry, and some food and good coffee never did any harm.

She hadn't been gone for more than fifteen minutes before she had made the journey back upstairs, walking into the cortex with a big smile, juggling the coffees in a bubble of hers, allowing her to carry all three at once. She was so proud of her accomplishment that it took her a moment to look up, noticing her surroundings, and as soon as she did her blood ran cold.

Standing before her in the lab she witnessed Barry, her boyfriend, the man that she loved, kissing one of her best friends, Caitlin. His hands were cupping her cheeks, Caitlin's against his chest and their lips were melded together. Sophia couldn't describe the pain and betrayal bubbling through her this very moment.

"What the f-," She didn't even manage to finish her curse word, the coffee's crashing to the ground, the hot liquid spilling everywhere and onto the white tiled floors. Both heard the crash, and Caitlin jumped back from Barry as though she had been burned, and she looked around, her eyes spotting Sophia, the guilt rushing through her.

"Sophia, this isn't what it looks like," Caitlin pleaded with wide eyes, and swollen lips. Sophia was frozen in her spot, the shock of it all not fully settling in.

But Sophia's gaze was focused on Barry who was standing there, not responding at all. And it was when he smirked, that she noticed something was wrong here. Her eyes glowed a bright blue, and Caitlin took a step back in fear, unsure of what was going to happen next. In an instant Sophia could see that it wasn't Barry, and she knew that it had to be Hannibal Bates.

"Caitlin, duck!" Sophia yelled out loud and the doctor followed her orders, ducking to the ground, missing the blast of energy that Sophia had fired at fake Barry, sending him sprawled to the ground and writhing in pain before she flew over, punching him in the face, leaving him unconscious.

Caitlin stood up, looking like a deer caught in headlights as Sophia landed back on the ground, her eyes returning to normal.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Sophia asked, the anger evident in her voice. She had just caught what looked like her boyfriend, kissing her best friend, but had turned out to be their enemy kissing Caitlin. Did that mean that Caitlin knew it was Hannibal Bates, or did she think she was actually kissing Barry even though Caitlin knew that Sophia and Barry were in a relationship?

It was all too confusing, and Sophia felt sick to her stomach with anxiety.

"H-He just came onto me, I swear, I didn't- I didn't kiss him," Caitlin protested.

"It's not Barry," Sophia said as she looked down at the body, nudging his chest with her foot. "It's Hannibal Bates."

"How the hell did you know that?" Caitlin asked with an exasperated expression. She was still freaked out, but less now that she knew that it wasn't actually Barry. She hadn't thought that Sophia would react so violently if it was him.

"Barry loves me, he wouldn't do that to me," Sophia said softly, smiling weakly at Caitlin. Though she knew the truth, it was still hard to see what she saw.

"I'm so sorry," Caitlin apologised again.

"We better get him locked up."

But just before they could drag fake Barry's body down to the pipeline, Iris appeared out of the blue, with questioning looks and a shocked expression as she saw exactly who they were carrying.

"Great."

* * *

Iris turning up to the scene wasn't the best thing that could have happened. They had managed to explain that this was in fact the Meta that was responsible for Eddie being put in Jail, and that he had somehow managed to take Barry's physical form.

They hoped that this information would have made her more inclined to letting them deal with things, but as soon as she heard Eddie's name, she knew that if they brought this man into the CCPD, they would be able to prove that they were telling the truth, and Eddie would be set free.

That's how Caitlin and Iris ended up driving the culprit to the CPPD, whilst Sophia went to find Barry, hoping that wherever he was, that he was fine. She had just managed to arrive at the West household, the last spot she hoped that Barry was at when she got a message from Caitlin saying that Hannibal Bates had escaped.

This made Sophia even more agitated than she already was, especially considering that they had him in their clutches, and he has just slipped through their fingers, yet again. She shook her head throwing all these thoughts aside before picking up the spare key they hid under the mat, and unlocking the door to the West household.

She flew up the stairs, walking into Barry's bedroom to find that it was empty. There were empty coffee mugs by his bedside table, a toothbrush sitting next to it, one that she noted was actually her own. She smiled sheepishly as she picked it up and put it back in the bathroom. Walking back out, all she could see was a messy bed, with relatively clean clothes laying around on the floor, and hanging off door knobs. For someone who had super speed, Barry could really take a second to clean up. She frowned, not spotting anything out of the ordinary, carefully turning around in a circle to do one last check when her eye caught the closet door that was slightly ajar. She moved quickly, throwing the door open to find Barry unconscious, who lay on the ground in an uncomfortable looking position, with his hands and ankles bound in rope.

"Damn," She cursed under her breath. She kneeled down, pulling the cloth around from his mouth and watched him sleep. She needed to wake him up and now. A good electric shock should do the trick she thought. She placed her hands on his face, cupping his cheeks softly before focusing, sending an electric shock through him.

He jerked awake, groaning in pain.

"Shit," Barry groaned. "What the hell happened? Why did you shock me?"

"Hannibal Bates happened," Sophia gritted through her teeth, surprising herself at her annoyed attitude. "And, because you were unconscious."

"Smelling salts work just as well," Barry mumbled before looking at her properly. "Why do you look so angry?" Barry asked. He could tell in an instant that something was wrong. He knew her well enough to know when she was angry, especially since their last fight that only ended shortly ago.

"I'm not angry, why would I be angry?" Her voice was gruff, and he wanted to crack a smile at her stubbornness, but he knew better. If he did then she would just close up again, and that was the opposite of what he wanted to happen here.

"You're frowning… _a lot_ , I might add."

"Something might have happened…" She trailed off, feeling slightly ashamed for her reaction when she knew that it wasn't actually him, but her heart still hurt and she could feel it, tight and constricting in her chest.

"Mind telling me what?" Barry asked as she helped untie him. He continued to eye her carefully, and she cracked under his gaze. It wasn't his fault, and she knew that, and she knew that if she didn't tell him now, he would probably find out about it later, and that wouldn't work out well for either party.

"Hannibal Bates may or may have not taken your face, and then he may or may have not made out with Caitlin, and then I may or may have not hit you- well, him, with a blast of energy because I was pissed off," Sophia managed to get out with a huff, looking down as she realised that her anger had been replaced with sadness in an instant. To put it simply, she felt like crap, and she knew that today was not her day. It wasn't that she was upset with Barry, it was more like she was pissed at Caitlin. Even if fake Barry had come onto her, didn't she know him well enough, know _her_ well enough to see that something was wrong. It wasn't like Barry was single, or unhappy in their relationship. She felt slightly betrayed by her friend even though Caitlin had already apologised. Sophia didn't want to dwell on this and make things worse, she knew that things were stressful right now, so she just hoped that with a bit of time, things would start to calm down.

" _Oh_ , Soph," Barry whispered softly, sitting up, so that he was now face to face with her. He cradled her head in his palms, his thumbs rubbing over her cheekbones. "You know that I'd never…"

"I know, I know," She replied quickly, but she felt her heart sink deep into her chest. "But, I saw it, and _I just_ \- I wasn't thinking," Sophia whispered as he leaned his forehead against her own.

"You know, that no matter what, I will always love you. You're the only one for me. There is no one else," He confessed, his green eyes boring into her own. He brushed his nose against hers when she didn't reply straight away, hoping that she saw the honesty and love in his eyes, and when she moved closer, closing her eyelids, he knew that everything between them was alright.

"I know."

"I love you." He pressed a tender kiss to her lips, and he could feel her sigh into the kiss, holding onto him like he was her lifeline. He hadn't intended it to go on long, but she wound her fingers through his hair, holding him closer as their lips melded together. He deepened the kiss for a minute longer before pulling back to catch his breath. No matter how long they had been together, Barry was sure of one thing, and that was that her kisses would always take his breath away.

"I love you too," She breathed out. "I'm sorry for being so, insecure."

" _Never_ apologise for being yourself," Barry told her and he was so sure her eyes were smiling.

"God, I love you," She said, and he cracked a smile, and they laughed softly along with each other, stealing another quick kiss as she helped him up.

"Come on, we have a Meta to catch. One that I need to teach a lesson, I might add," Barry said, and he saw the smallest of smiles appear on her face.

* * *

"This Hannibal Bates, has turned into quite the meta-human. Take a look. His cells have the ability to transmogrify at quite the rate, which is how he can become anyone, which is how he can look like anyone. But he cannot appropriate your memory or your powers," Dr. Wells explained and a sigh of relief went through both heroes.

"Got it. Hands on the meta-human," Barry reiterated, cracking his knuckles.

"Hands on the meta-human," Dr. Wells repeated with a smirk.

"I'm coming with you. I can't wait to kick his ass," Sophia told Barry and he nodded. It would certainly make things easier with having two people on the scene looking for him.

"And to help you do that, Dr. Snow has concocted a solution we believe will stop him," Dr. Wells announced.

Caitlin looked over at the couple sheepishly. She had already spoken to them both when they had arrived and they had all cleared the air, and agreed that it was none of their faults, and only the actions of Hannibal Bates. But regardless, Caitlin still felt bad for hurting Sophia.

"Yes. I've made as serum that will create a cortical reaction around his cells."

"That's going to deprive his cells of their electrical charge…" Sophia trailed off, thinking about it and Caitlin continued.

"And thereby stop his cells from behind able to change, so basically, his shape-shifting days are over."

"Wow, that's great work," Barry praised and Caitlin threw him a smile.

"Thank you."

"Oh, Barry. We got a ping from your cell phone."

"Looks like Hannibal Bates is at the airport."

"Payback time," Sophia muttered under her breath, but Barry caught her words and threw her a smirk. Once they were changed in their gear, he picked her up in his arms and zoomed them both over to the airport, ready to capture Hannibal Bates and end this once and for all.

Upon arrival at the airport, they noted that in the busy crowd, it was impossible to spot Hannibal Bates, that and the added fact that he had probably changed his face to one that they wouldn't be able to recognise.

Sophia and Barry were both armed with the serum that Caitlin had constructed, and they knew what they had to do. They decided to split up, figuring it would be easier to find him. Sophia took to searching through the crowds of travellers lined up to board their planes whilst Barry went rushing around the complex to see if he could spot Hannibal trying to make an escape.

Barry had been the one to find Hannibal Bates first, dragging him to a locked holding bay at the airport that was empty, calling Sophia to help him. She had flew over in an instant, surprising a lot of people in the airport as they watched her in the blue costume, gliding over their heads and deeper into the airport storage.

But the problem was when she arrived.

She had walked in to see two Flashes, two Barry Allen's, unsure of who was who. They had continued fighting each other, but she couldn't tell the difference between them and so she wasn't of much help. She thought of what she could do, and in a moment of uncertainty, she carefully threw a blast of energy in their direction, separating the two from each other. She needed to know who was who, otherwise they'd never capture Hannibal.

"What the hell," She groaned. Both of them had jumped into action immediately, one placed on either side of the room, and both of them running their mouths, saying that they were the _real_ Flash.

"Sapphire, it's me," Barry said, trying to grab her attention. He couldn't use her real name in fear of revealing her identity to Hannibal. His voice was desperate, and he hoped that she was able to tell the difference. But if he was being honest, he wouldn't hold it against her if she couldn't. Hannibal had morphed into her for a while as well, and he swore that it looked like the same person. It was nearly impossible to differentiate.

"No, it's not, don't listen to him," Hannibal said. "It's me, he's lying Sophia," Hannibal continued. He had managed to connect the dots when she had knocked him out back at Star Labs, and he knew the true identity of the Sapphire Knight.

Her eyes went wide as she watched one of the Flash's say, the other, using her alter ego. She stood her ground unsure of which way to move. Barry wouldn't use her real name, but then again she was sure that Hannibal didn't know who she was. She created a ball of energy in her hand just in case, ready to attack in an instant. She still wasn't a hundred per cent sure of who was who, and if she hurt Barry or let Hannibal get away, she wouldn't forgive herself.

"Where's my beauty spot?" She suddenly blurted out the question, knowing that Barry, _her_ Barry would know the answer.

"Thigh," Barry to the left of her said with a smirk, and let her take her shot. She flew faster than Hannibal could react, her fists energised and out in front of her, colliding with his chest, sending him soaring through the air before hitting the back of the wired metal wall. Hannibal stood back up, and transformed into a carbon copy of Sophia as Sapphire, having touched her arm when she hit him. She rolled her eyes internally, ducking and missing a hit that was aimed for her jawline. She kicked Hannibal's feet out from under him, the knock from the kick leaving him winded, and frozen in place for a moment too long.

"Do you want the honours?"

"With pleasure," Barry ran over, injecting the serum into Hannibal, his body slumping to the ground, as his body kept cycling through all the bodies he had shifted into, until finally they were left with his original form that was certainly an unpleasant sight.

"Thank god, that's over," Sophia mused, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Beauty spot?" Barry questioned with a raised brow at her choice of differentiation, and Sophia blushed a light pink underneath her mask, and it was visible considering that her cheekbones were exposed.

" _What_ , it just popped into my head," She protested.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. _Sure thing_."

Sophia laughed at Barry and swopped in for a kiss, her gloved hands on the back of his neck. His arms wound around her waist, bringing her leather clad body close to his own, noting that feeling of her suit on his was something he could get used to, feeling silly that he hadn't thought of this in the first place.

* * *

Hannibal Bates was now locked up in their own personal prison in the pipe-line of Star Labs, and Sophia decided that she would join Barry in his escapades back at the CCPD. She actually hoped that Cecile was there as well so she could speak to her god mother, especially now that Eddie had been released by her. She wanted to thank her personally for giving them the extra time to clear his name. Barry had also dropped off a list of names for Cecile that needed to be cleared for crimes that actually belonged to Hannibal Bates.

"I have to admit this is new territory for me," Cecile confessed to Sophia, just outside the Captains office, Barry standing nearby, within an earshot of their conversation as he listened in.

"I can't even begin to imagine," Sophia said, and Barry scoffed from behind her, knowing that she was lying through her teeth. He found it ironic, considering that she was Sapphire and the fact that she was dating The Flash.

"It's hard to believe that we live in a world where this kind of impossible even exists," Cecile mused and Sophia nodded along with her.

"It's insane, but we're lucky it's also a world were heroes like The Flash and Sapphire exist."

"You know, I saw The Flash once," Cecile told Sophia.

" _Really?_ "

"Yeah. I was on my way to the courthouse. He blew past me, it was just a blur of red, and a gust of wind. But it was pretty damn cool."

"I can imagine."

"How's your father?" Cecile asked. She hadn't seen him in a good year or two, but she kept in regular contact through phone calls and skype sessions. She had been good friends with him during her teenage years, and as soon as she got her new job as the DA, things became a bit difficult to keep in contact with old friends, and even relatives.

"He's good. I went to visit for my birthday, we had a good time," Sophia told her.

"That's good to hear. We should catch up some time. I know I haven't been the easiest person to keep in contact with, but you're still practically family," Cecile said and Sophia smiled down at her godmother.

"For sure," She moved, giving her a hug, watching Cecile leave before Barry walked up to her.

"Everything cleared up?"

"Yes, I can't wait to just collapse on my couch and just not think about the fact that I have Brian breathing down my neck for missing work again," Sophia said leaning into Barry's touch as he brought her into a side hug.

"Well, you'll have to take a raincheck. Cisco and Joe just got back from Starling. They're all waiting in my lab."

"Ugh, fine," Sophia said, as Barry practically dragged her tired body upstairs. When he looked around, seeing that no one was looking now that they were practically down the hallway, he gathered Sophia in his arms, who let out a gasp, whisking them to his lab where the others awaited them.

Cisco jumped at the sight and a smile graced his face as he greeted them with big hugs.

"How was the trip?" Sophia asked.

"Exciting…and a bit insane," Cisco said, motioning for them to move back and look at the table.

"Come here, we've got something to show you," Joe said, pulling off the cover to reveal a dead body… or what was left of it. The strong stench and the decomposed body that was just a mixture of badly broken bones was all that was left of whoever that was. Sophia eyed the body carefully and wondered why the hell they had brought this back from Starling City.

"Who is that?" Sophia asked, taking a closer look.

"It's a perfect match," Cisco said ominously.

"For who?" Barry asked, glancing up at Cisco.

"This body is the real Harrison Wells," Cisco announced, his words stunning everyone in the room.

"What."

"Dr. McGee said that after the accident, Wells became a completely different person."

"It's because he is a different person."

"Holy shit, I need to sit down," Sophia breathed out, and Barry rushed over, placing a seat underneath her as she tried to gather her thoughts. No one said a thing as they all stared at the body on the table that meant whoever the hell they thought was Harrison Wells, was actually an imposter… but who was he?

* * *

The team had now found themselves gathered in the halls of Star Labs, following Cisco through the endless halls with some weird device in hand.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asked, throwing Cisco an incredulous look.

"After the accelerator exploded, I built a 3-D model of Star Labs so that I could pinpoint exactly what caused the malfunction."

"And you _never_ ran this test?" Barry asked.

"Of course I did. I just never had any reason to look at any areas outside the pipeline or the cortex. It's a big building. Lots of places for Wells to hide something," Cisco explained as they continued to move, walking by as he scanned the walls.

Sophia recognised the hallway that they were in, and connected it back to the video she had seen of Wells. There was a sudden beeping that emitted from the machine and they all stopped in their tracks, the noise breaking her out of her thoughts.

The wall suddenly shifted, turning from the darker grey to a lighter consistency, with white dots patterned on the wall.

"What is that?" Sophia asked with a nervous tone. It hadn't been there before, and it was starting to freak her out.

"That's shouldn't be there," Barry said, waving his hand near it.

"I'm picking up more activity around here."

"Tachyons," Cisco whispered to himself, and they all went stiff at the word. Cisco moved the device closer to the middle of that wall as the beeping got louder. "There." The wall now completely morphed, sliding back and then inside, like a secret door opening.

"Oh, my god," Caitlin squeaked out.

"Guys," Barry went to touch the moving wall and his arm ended up going through, he retracted it, bringing it close to his chest in a seconds notice. He then took a moment to take a deep breath before stepping through. With wide eyes, Sophia moved forward, following in Barry's footsteps, walking into a room that had been painted white, from ceiling to floor, that had ridiculous lighting.

And what they had found out prior to this adventure still wasn't enough to prepare them from the sight before them.

" _What the frak_?"

And that was the moment the team discovered the secret lair of the Reverse-Flash.

* * *

 **A / N – Don't forget to check out the AU series on my profile called New Romantics. Consists of short stories of Sophia and Barry. So far there are three up, might upload another in a few days. Don't forget to leave a review.**

 **I am so sorry for the quality of this chapter. I wanted to add more juice, make it better, but I've just been so busy lately, and I have a funeral to attend today so I just don't have the time. It's still a good chapter, but it's just not…the best. Sorry guys.**

 **I changed a few things up in this chapter, e.g. one being that Hannibal actually killed the cops instead of just sending them to the emergency room at the hospital. I did this because I wanted it to be more dramatic, and put more weight on the reason why they wanted to incarcerate Eddie. Just thought I would point it out… I don't know if anyone noticed at all.**

 **Replies:**

 **Natalie: YAS. It's all a bit crazy right now. In a few chapters time you'll see a bit of loss of control, but I am not going to say more than that…otherwise…spoiler. I would love to write a young justice story.**

 **Shadowhunters12: I'm glad, as you know I have been trying to get some more Eddie/Sophia bonding time in. That line always killed me. Ray has no filter, just like felicity, and it was fun to see them together. Superman will appear I think one more time and this time he will bring Anna along with him, which is exciting. Well right now they're all not sure its just a dream, next chapter they find out. Thanks again for reviewing, always love hearing from you. X**

 **xXEndlessImaginationXx: Thanks so much love. It's always so lovely to hear those words.**

 **CuteGlasses: Yeah it was a bit depressing with the feels, but I had to introduce it somewhere. Those chapters are nearing! I haven't written them yet, but they're coming soon.**

 **Turtklekier42: Yeah, and I found it was really hard to incorporate Sophia when they were so many people there. Well at least they resolved it now. Hope that you liked this chapter. I felt it was a bit… dry… I don't know. Haven't been in the writing movie lately.**

 **RHatch89: Thanks love! Glad you love it.**

 **Please leave a review guys, it really puts a smile on my face, and with all my stresses at uni right now, I could use it.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	25. Revelations

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

It felt as though time had frozen.

Sophia was glued to the spot in the middle of the _secret lair_ , standing in front of a podium that projected a news article from the year 2024. At first, she was completely focused on the large title in flashing colour that spoke of the disappearance of The Flash after fighting it out in Central City with The Reverse Flash. But what caught her eye next, was something even more disturbing. It was the sort of discovery that first sent your heart hurtling in your chest, out of excitement and disbelief, then it had morphed into a feeling of dread and disaster.

It was the Obituary column, and the first name on that list… was her own. Or at least, sort of. In cursive writing, it was written there, _Sophia L. Allen_ , date of passing, the 19th of April, 2024, a mere 5 days before The Flash's sudden disappearance.

She didn't know if she was in shock over the fact that she had died, that she knew the exact date of her death, that she had roughly less than a decade to live, or the fact that her last name was Allen, meaning that sometime in the future, Barry had proposed and she had said _yes_. She had married him. She wanted to jump up and down, to laugh and cry, but all she could do was stand there still, staring at the screen before her.

Cisco's words were drowned out by the loud pounding of her thoughts, and she was only brought out of her thoughts by Caitlin, when the red-head shook her shoulder as they tried to get her attention.

"Barry, look at the date," Cisco says and all their heads turn, to focus on what Sophia had already seen while the others admired the yellow suit on display.

"April 25th, 2024," Barry mumbled, moving forward to take a closer look. "Guys, when I fought the Reverse Flash at Christmas, he said that we'd be fighting for centuries."

" _Wait_ , you can't really think that this is from the future…" Caitlin trailed off.

"That would mean that Dr. Wells, or whoever he is, is also from the future," Sophia finally spoke. That's why the DNA match on the other body was a perfect match for Harrison Wells. The real Harrison had been killed, and this man from the future had taken his place. "It does make things clearer."

"I have to say, I am really digging the brighter red suit," Cisco commented, admiring the new design of Barry's super-suit.

"I always did love Barry in red," Sophia mumbled in reply to Cisco who was staring at it in awe.

"That's dope," He hummed in agreement. " _Wait a second_. Suppose we change the colour on your suit. Will it be because we got the idea from this picture? That would mean we are living in a casual nexus. This is- _This is so trippy_."

They all hummed in unison until Cisco spoke up again.

"But not as trippy as that name I spot right there, is that Sophia L. _Allen_?" Cisco asked, pointing it out on the article.

"Trust me, what's above the name is scarier than the fact that I married Barry," Sophia said, trying to avoid the heavy gaze that she felt Barry directing her way. She stuck her hands in the pocket of her black jacket in an attempt to hide her shaking hands, and to retain some sense of control over the situation. She bit her lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but if she kept it up, she would end up tearing the delicate skin.

The team all looked to see what she meant, and Caitlin let out a loud gasp when she saw that it was indeed under the Obituary column, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

" _Oh my god_."

"What, no, _no_ , that can't be true," Barry breathed out, with wide eyes, taking a step forward.

"I die. In 10 years _, I'm dead_ ," Sophia stated bluntly, her face void of any expression. "And married…"

"But, hey, you finally proposed," Cisco said trying to lighten the mood, and that just made Barry flush a bright red. "Mazel tov?"

"Hebrew," A voice suddenly said and then Sophia gasped, suddenly latching her hand onto Barry's, standing beside him with the hope that it would calm her nerves.

"Ancient language of the Jewish people," The voice spoke again. Sophia's eyes darted around the room. _Where the hell is that creepy voice coming from?_ She felt like she was the star of the latest horror movie, and she was sure she would be the first one to die.

"Uh-uh. What the hell was that?" Cisco inquired out loud.

"Is someone here?" Barry asked.

"Good evening, Barry Allen," The female voice interface began, appearing before them with a computerised facial structure.

"H-Hi," Barry stammered, and Sophia tightened her grip on his hand. This was just all way too trippy. "You know who I am?"

"Of course," the voice said. "Barry Allen, director of Central City Police, CSI Division."

" _Director_?" Barry frowned in confusion.

"I guess you get a promotion," Sophia mused, carefully focusing on the voice that was speaking.

"Also known as The Flash. Founding member of…"

"What are you?" Barry asked the machine.

"I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness. AI."

"Sick," Cisco breathed out.

"You know Dr. Wells?"

"Yes," Gideon replied swiftly.

"Do you know who he really is?"

"I don't understand the question," Gideon said.

"I, I mean, what is he doing here? Why did he come here?" Barry pressed on.

"To kill you," Gideon said bluntly, and Sophia's blood ran cold.

Just as Barry was about to ask more questions, Cisco informed them that Wells was in the building.

"What? How the hell do you know that?" Sophia asked, her eyes glancing over at Cisco who shrugged sheepishly, looking guilty.

"I put a tracker on his wheelchair. Which, if we're wrong about him and he is paralysed, I'm going to hell for that one," Cisco admitted, and Sophia wanted to crack a smile at his sarcastic comment, but now was not the time, nor the place.

"He's in the Cortex," Caitlin said looking over at the map on Cisco's tablet. "Ask questions fast."

"Why did he kill Nora Allen?" Barry asked, and Sophia rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand, knowing that pain it caused him to even utter those words.

"Because he was angry," Gideon said.

"About what?"

"That you escaped. Even after all his efforts, killing your wife Sophia Allen, you still evaded him," Gideon spoke and Sophia felt her heart squirm inside her chest. She was going to die at the hands of the Reverse Flash that was her destiny for the future. Her breathing was heavier and Barry could tell, hearing her uneven breaths as he stood next to her. All he could feel was the anger burning through his veins as he listened to Gideon speak.

"He's on B level. He's coming this way," Cisco warned. They needed to hurry up and get out of there, otherwise it would all be over, right here, right now.

"What does he want from me?"

"For you to be The Flash."

"Maybe that's why Wells let the particle accelerator explode, so that you could become The Flash."

"Why? I mean, for what reason?" Barry asked, his voice desperate for answers.

"Guys, we got to go. He's almost here," Cisco pleaded in an urgent voice, taking a step back as he looked at his tablet, frowning when he watched the tracker on Well's chair move closer and closer to their location. If Wells came in, it would all be over.

"Hurry," Caitlin urged.

"All right. Wait a second. _Wait_. What if HAL over there tells Wells that we were in here?" Cisco asked and they all froze at the realisation. _Shit_.

"That would be bad," Sophia said. "Like very bad."

"If I can get into its operating system, maybe I can disable its memory core."

"Gideon can you show us where your operating system is?" Barry asked hopefully.

"Certainly." A small device popped open from the podium, displaying a very confusing and futuristic looking mainframe.

"Yeah. _Nope_. That's not gonna happen," Cisco fake laughed. There was no way he would be able to hack into that sort of futuristic tech, at least not with the few seconds they had to work with.

"Guys, he's in the corridor."

"Gideon, could you just, like, not tell him that we were here?" Barry asked, and Sophia looked over at him incredulously.

"Of course. I will accept any command given to me by you," Gideon announced, surprising them all.

"Well that was easy," Cisco mused.

"Barry, come on, we gotta go," Sophia said, tugging at his hand. She was starting to come out of the shock of it all, and she knew that they needed to leave, like right now.

" _Wait_ , wait. Why would you accept my commands?"

"Because you created me."

* * *

"For very smart people, that was really stupid," Joe berated as they all sat in Barry's lab at the CCPD. Barry had recounted the story, telling Joe of every detail, not to just inform him, but to recap so that they could all digest the information.

It was a hell of a lot, and the two things that Barry kept thinking about the most were the fact that he had been married to Sophia in the future, actually _married_ to her. Just the mere thought of spending the rest of his life with her was beyond blissful, but then finding out that on the 19th of April 2024 that she would die at the hands of the Man in Yellow made him sick to his core. He couldn't imagine how she was feeling right now. He glanced over to her, as she sat on a stool in the corner of the small area they were huddled in. He wanted nothing more than to just pull her in his arms, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, to promise that he would protect her with his life, to promise that he would do everything in his power to make sure that this future never became reality, but they needed to set the facts straight first, and they needed to make their game plan, otherwise, things would just go down from here.

"What if Wells had caught you in that…" Joe started, but then stopped when he realised he had no words to describe the peculiar room that they had discovered.

"Time vault," Cisco supplied.

"Thank you."

"Okay, I know we've seen a lot this past year, but time travel?" Joe asked and that's when Sophia spoke up.

"Anna can time travel," Sophia said nonchalantly. "Well she doesn't anymore, but she can."

"What?!" Cisco exclaimed, and Caitlin crossed her arms looking over at Sophia with inquisitive eyes.

"Since when?" Joe inquired, jumping up from his seat.

"It's complicated, but the point is, time travel is possible," Sophia said, making her statement clear. She had never told the team of Anna's abilities, out of respect for her friend's privacy…that and with everything that was going on, she was sure that she wanted to keep Anna as far away from their drama as possible.

"I did it," Barry then blurted out, causing everyone's eyes to face him. "Or I will do it, I mean."

"Excuse me?"

"One of the two speedsters in Barry's house the night his mother died was Barry. I mean, The Flash. He was there. Which means that one day in the future, Barry will travel back in time to that night."

"Okay, so that must explain the whole _The Flash vanishes_ article," Sophia said, scratching the side of her head. This was beginning to feel like too much, she was sure that any more talk and her head was going to implode. "That must have been the year that you ran back in time to the night your mother was killed."

"Okay…" Barry dragged the word. "Actually, I wasn't talking about that. I kind of already time travelled… by accident."

"What?" Sophia asked. "When?"

"I was running to try and stop a tsunami from hitting the city…" Barry said, hoping that by telling the truth, he wouldn't screw things up again. "I didn't want to say anything in fear of screwing up the timeline." And at Barry's words, her shoulders relaxed a little. She knew about this sort of crap from Superman, and dealing with Anna's situation. Time was one hell of a tricky thing.

"When was that?" Caitlin asked, she didn't remember that happening.

"A few weeks ago. Right before you started getting those dreams," Barry said, directing the second half of his answer towards Cisco.

"Oh, you mean the ones where Wells uses his super-speeding hand to shred my heart apart after he rips Sophia's out of her chest? Those?" Cisco inquired sarcastically, and Sophia brought her hand up to her chest.

"Yes, _right_ ," Barry nodded, remembering that day, and how Sophia's heart had stopped beating.

"So, what if they're not dreams?"

"What else could they be?"

"Memories?" Barry mused hesitantly.

"I'm not following," Joe threw in.

"All right, what if, that day, Cisco and Sophia found out that Wells is the Reverse Flash, and then Wells kills them? But when I ran back a day, I changed the timeline so that never happened."

"If it never happened, how can Cisco remember it?"

"I don't know. I don't know," Barry mumbled.

"I think you're onto something. That day, that would have been the day I had that heart attack. I remember how it felt, the pain… it was like someone was tearing my heart from my chest, it felt supernatural in a way…" Sophia trailed off. "What if I was feeling the mirror effect to the other universe? The same way that Cisco is remembering it? But we just experienced after effects differently?"

"Guys, I think I've got a really bad idea," Cisco announced, and they all gathered round closer to hear his thoughts.

* * *

After discussing it with Joe, they decided to go through with the plan. The four youngsters were getting ready to head back to Star Labs to complete some further research and investigation in regards to how they were going to access Cisco's memories without causing any damage to his brain, and retrieve the information they needed carefully.

"I promise, we'll talk about it later," Barry had said to Sophia before they left, pulling her into a tight hug and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm going to keep you safe." She had nodded into his chest, trying her hardest not to cry, focusing on him, his touch, his scent, and his arms around her, his promise. And in a Flash, they were both sitting in Star Labs, now focusing on working with Cisco and Caitlin on how to proceed with their plan to induce lucid dreaming.

"The theory is that it will allow people to objectively enter their dreams and face their fears."

"Still working on the talking part."

"And you're sure this isn't gonna, you know, mess with my brain?" Cisco asked Caitlin, and she nodded.

"Oh, the amount of electricity required to trigger lucid dreaming is harmless."

"Probably," Barry whispered, to Sophia who bit down on her lip, trying to contain her wide eyes. She was starting to worry that Cisco's idea wasn't so great…or safe for that matter. She would have volunteered, but seeing as though Cisco was the only one who had seen the visions, and had the dreams, it was more likely that he would respond to the lucid dreaming, since the events were erased when Barry ran back and changed the timeline.

"Who's going to be lucid dreaming?" Dr. Wells asked as he rolled into the room, surprising them all. They hadn't even noticed that he was at Star Labs, let alone in the room over.

"Um…" Caitlin froze, unsure of what to say, her eyes comically growing larger by the second as her silence continued. She gulped before fiddling with her fingers for a moment, trying to come up with something to say. "With all of the meta-humans in Central City, some people have been seeing some strange things…"

"Things that they just don't understand," Cisco said.

"And it's really just a matter of time before psychological issues develop. We think that lucid dreaming will help health professionals better understand their fears, at least, that's where we were going with this experiment," Sophia jumped in, catching onto what Cisco was trying to get at.

"Intriguing," Dr. Wells commented. "Of course, you still need to guide the patient from the outside, right? Direct them to a specific aspect of the dream."

"We're still working on a communications interface," Barry said. Both he and Cisco had been trying to work on a way to communicate whilst he was under, so that he could relay information about what was happening and direct them through.

"When we dream, the middle brain lights up with electrical activity, whereas the higher brain remains dormant. Once we find a way to make both parts of the brain active, then it's just a matter of finding the frequency that will stimulate the language centre," Dr. Wells explained, as though he was giving a class. Sophia found it hard to focus on his words when all she could see was the lies and deceit that followed Harrison Wells like a shadow.

"Then the dreamer could speak. He could describe his dream."

"Exactly. Or her dream. It could be used for anyone," Barry fumbled with his words as he tried to cover up Cisco's mistake.

"Right, it's not gender specific."

"I would try a frequency of 45 hertz to start."

"Thank you, Dr. Wells," Caitlin said. Even though he was currently their number one suspect, he was quite useful, and she needed to keep up the impression that everything was normal.

"Well, you two girls never cease to impress me," Dr. Wells said before rolling out of the room and down the hall.

Sophia let out a sigh of relief when he left, slumping slightly against the back wall of the room they were in.

"I need some air," She said, avoiding the worried gazes thrown her way as she left the room. She flew down the hall, and made her way up to the roof, needing the fresh air. She felt claustrophobic in that room, after what Wells said. She remembered something from that day, even though it was in another timeline. That word, _impress,_ it felt like a taunt, and it made her feel sick to her stomach.

She knew that eventually someone would find her up here, and she didn't want to talk to anyone. For now, she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She shot up into the air, her body twirling and gliding through the clouds were she escaped for a while, feeling the sun on her skin, and the wind caressing her face, and for once, up in the sky, everything seemed like it would be alright, like the world wasn't going to come crashing down on her.

She felt at peace. She closed her eyes, relaxing her shoulders as she meditated in the clouds, floating away until she felt like coming down.

* * *

Barry watched as Sophia left, letting out a deep sigh of regret as he watched her go. He needed to speak to her about what happened this morning. But it never seemed like the right time.

He didn't know what to say, how to say it. He wanted to speak with Joe, get some perspective on it all. That's how he found himself back at the CCPD. What he didn't expect was to run into Captain Singh, who was upset with Barry's lack of work.

"Allen."

"Hey."

"The Owens case. I'm still waiting on the fibre evidence and the ballistics report," Captain Singh said, and Barry clenched his jaw, cursing internally. He knew that he had forgotten something this morning. He had planned to have done it the night before, but with all this Reverse-Flash drama, it had slipped his mind. "Are you on vacation or something?"

"No, I'm so sorry, I've just…" Just as Barry was going to come up with an excuse, Captain Singh's phone chimed, interrupting their conversation. The Captain quickly, pressed the ignore button, turning the tune off. "I've been distracted by another case. Which is no excuse, I just-." Barry continued but was cut off.

"Okay, just get me the reports when you can. There's…there's no rush."

"All right. Uh, Captain? Is everything okay?" Barry asked tentatively. The Captain sighed before replying.

"Yeah, since Rob and I have been planning the, you know, wedding, between the florist and the hundreds of kinds of cake filling and who can sit next to who…" The Captain trailed off, realising that he was starting to blab out all his problems. "Never get married, Allen."

"Right," Barry said, letting out a deep breath, trying not to think of the irony of it all. He knew that he someday in the future he had proposed to Sophia, and she said yes. There was a part of him that was just so elated that no matter what, they would be together… forever. But it scared him as well. Not because he would be married, but because he knew the exact day she would die. He clenched his jaw, trying not to think about it now, turning around only to bump into Iris.

"Oh, Iris," Barry said with a smile.

"Barry. Hey. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. No. _Yes_. That was… just really weird. Captain Singh was nice to me."

"Oh, well, he's in a good mood. He's about to get married," Iris pointed out with a smile.

"Lucky him. Yeah, I know it's…"

Iris had then asked him if they could talk in private, it was something work related, but Barry knew that he didn't have the time. A second later, Eddie had arrived on the scene, giving Iris a kiss on her cheek, and asking to borrow Barry quickly. Iris sighed, letting Eddie take Barry, letting them know she would be waiting by her father's desk when they were finished.

"What's up?" Barry asked and Eddie just smiled secretly before pulling out a Tiffany & Co. box from his pocket, popping the lid open to show Barry the diamond ring he had bought for Iris. Barry's eyes went wide, and he wondered if the universe hated him. With all this future wedding drama with Sophia, came wedding comments from everyone it seemed today. " _Oh_. Okay. What did she say?" Barry asked, looking at the ring and then back up at Eddie before realising that he wouldn't have popped the question yet, and have the ring still sitting in the box. "Or, wait, you still have it, so, _duh_ , you haven't asked her yet. Or did you ask her, and she said…" Barry mumbled.

"I was gonna propose tonight," Eddie said, a grin sitting on his lips. He loved Iris West, and he wanted nothing more than to be with her. Since they had gotten over their fight, things were starting to run smoothly again in their relationship, and he knew for months now that she was the _one._ He was just jittery with overwhelming feelings of nervousness and excitement. He wanted to be with her.

"All right."

"But I went to Joe to ask for his blessing. He said no."

"He did?" Barry frowned.

"Well, at first. And then I kept pestering and eventually he cracked. But he wasn't all that enthusiastic about it at first."

"He'll warm up to the idea. I don't know what to say… good luck. You two deserve each other," Barry said to Eddie, placing his hand on his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. He was happy that his best friend had someone like Eddie to love her.

"Thanks, Barry. And please, pass on my thanks to Sophia. She helped me choose the ring."

"I will. I'm actually going to go see her now."

* * *

Barry ran back to Star Labs, going up to the roof top where he knew that Sophia would be… well at least he thought that's where she would be. But he had found her back at her apartment, curled up in the middle of her bed, hugging a pillow tight to her chest, and holding onto a piece of paper. When Barry moved closer, he noted that it was the drawing that he had made for her on her birthday.

"Barry," Sophia said as she looked up, startled to see him here. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it was time we had that talk," Barry said, plopping down on the bed next to her. She turned placed the paper on her side table, turning over to face Barry as she sat cross-legged on the bed now.

"What's up?"

"Your hair," Barry stated simply, watching her brown locks gracefully flowing.

"What?" She frowned in confusion.

"No, really, it's sort of floating."

She looked up to see that her hair was sort of levitating around her and she groaned, patting it down. She noted that sometimes when she got extremely stressed, her powers would prevent themselves. Whether that was with glowing eyes, or levitating hair or even her body levitating off the ground.

"Sorry, it happens sometimes."

"I've noticed," Barry said softly, taking her hands in his. "Where do think we should start?" Barry asked, and she looked down, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"I don't know…the fact that we get married in the future, or the fact that I die a few days before you vanish?" Sophia asked, gulping, hoping the pressure would keep her tears at bay.

"You're not going to die," Barry said firmly.

"Barry, you saw the article-,"

"Sophia, I don't care what some article from the future said. You, are not going to die. The future isn't set in stone, and I promise you that I will protect you," Barry's voice was full with such raw emotion, that she couldn't help it as a tear escaped, trickling down her cheek. He brought his hand up to her face, wiping away her tears. "And look on the bright side, in ten years, we'll be married."

"Talk about a spoiler alert." Sophia couldn't help but laugh, a smile breaking out onto her face. Knowing that their love was heading in the direction of being together for life, was a nice idea, and she had to admit that she had thought about it before, as they lay in bed at night, gazing up at his face, and wondering what it would be like to spend the rest of her life with him, and it was something that she was sure she wanted in the future.

"Sophia Allen. It has a nice ring to it doesn't it?" Barry said with a smirk, as he noted the pink blush that shaded her cheeks. Just the look on his face was enough to send her stomach erupting in butterflies, and all of a sudden she felt shy.

"You just like it because it's your name, and I didn't decide to hyphenate."

"Mmm, everyone will know you're _mine_ ," Barry said in a low tone, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her closer, as she practically straddled him on her bed.

"Yours?" She asked, leaning forward, her lips inches from his own. Her hand was splayed on his chest and she could feel his heart pumping beneath her fingertips, through the thin material of his shirt.

" _Forever_ , and I'm all yours," He told her, gazing into her eyes with all the love and adoration in the world, melting away all her fears and worries.

With those words she had captured his lips in a loving kiss, slow and smooth, reminding them both of the love they shared. His kiss was like a promise to her that he would always protect her, that even though the universe was basically telling them they couldn't be together, he would make it work. He would cherish her. He would love her. He would fight for her.

"I love you," Sophia whispered against his lips, eliciting a sigh from Barry as he kissed her again, and again and again until they got lost in each other's touch, making sure to tell her how much he loved her.

* * *

"Okay, can we go over this one more time?" Cisco asked, looking down at his shaking hands. He was feeling jittery the whole way to the CCPD. Not that he didn't have a hundred and ten per cent faith in his friends, but they had never done this before, and the risk of brain damage was only slightly discouraging.

"Yeah, you put the glasses on, fall asleep, and start dreaming," Barry explained. "Not that hard."

"Yeah, expect I'm pretty sure I die in this dream, and of course, not before witnessing the brutal murder of Sophia," Cisco said through gritted teeth.

"Well, considering everything that's happened today, and the fact that I apparently die in an alternate timeline, and in the future, I'm not entirely phased by that comment, and I hope that doesn't mean that I'm going slightly insane," Sophia said, rubbing her temples. Barry walked over and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and placing a lingering kiss on her temple.

"If I go back into it, am I gonna die in real life? I mean, what are we talking about here? Is this inception or dreamscape?" Cisco rambled.

"Cisco, breathe. We're going to be guiding you through, and monitoring your vitals the whole way, if there's a risk, we'll pull you out straight away," Sophia tried to reassure him.

"Okay," Cisco sighed in defeat. He needed to get over his fear. He had to go through with this one way or another.

"Here, drink this," Joe said, passing Cisco a drink. "You're gonna be fine, Cisco," Joe told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, okay."

"The glasses are emitting a low-level delta wave which should help you fall asleep," Caitlin explained as she passed the glasses to him, Cisco looking at them one last time before placing them on and laying down on the metal bench in the middle of Barry's lab. Sophia then moved and pressed a button on the side of the glasses, turning them on, and making sure that Cisco's vitals were normal before they began.

"I got to warn you, though, usually it takes me a long time… I mean…I'm not saying I'm…an insomniac…" Cisco drifted off into sleep within seconds, causing them all to giggle lightly at his behaviour.

"He's entering REM," Caitlin informed as she looked down at her surface tablet, examining the data. "It's working."

"Cisco, can you hear me?" Barry asked as he stood on the other side of the table, near Cisco's head. "You're dreaming, bud."

"Whoa, guys this is mad freaky," Cisco said, his words slightly slurred at first. Sophia figured that was just because of the fact that he had just registered he was dreaming.

"Okay, um, where are you?" Barry asked.

"Um, in the Cortex with Sophia. I mean, I know I'm just dreaming that I'm in the Cortex, but it feels so real." As Cisco went on, his words became clearer, and sharper.

"What is dream you doing?"

"Caitlin just left. I asked her to take Wells to Jitters."

"Why do you want Wells out of the lab?" Sophia asked, her voice as light as a feather in an attempt to keep Cisco in a relaxed state.

"I think he might have tampered with my work. Sophia and I are going to check it out. Okay, okay, we're walking to the bunker," Cisco said, describing what they were doing. "Oh, man, I love this shirt," Cisco said, telling them how dream him was wearing it, and he hadn't seen it in a while. "I thought the dryer ate it."

Sophia snickered at his comment and Barry shook his head telling him to focus on his surroundings.

"Focus, Cisco."

"Okay, okay. Now I'm running tests on the containment system. This data…it doesn't make any sense. The super capacitators were all fully charged, even with Sophia's energy. There's absolutely no reason that the Man in Yellow should have escaped," Cisco said and they all looked up, glancing at each other with wary eyes.

"Oh, my god. He tricked us," Cisco suddenly gasped, and they could see him squirming on the table in fear. "Oh, god, Wells is here. He's gonna hurt us."

"Cisco, it's just a dream. He can't hurt you," Barry reminded him.

"You better be right about that," Cisco said. He then described how Sophia had pushed him back into the containment shield, protected from Wells, and how she then threw up one of her own in front of her.

"Eobard Thawne," Cisco mumbled.

"Thawne? Like Eddie Thawne?" Joe asked, and Sophia shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what it could mean.

"You killed Nora Allen," Cisco said, repeating what he was in the dream.

"Nora? What about my mom?" Barry asked, more alert than before.

"He's confessing," Cisco clarified and Joe watched carefully as he continued.

"Cisco?" Sophia asked, softly.

"He…he didn't want to kill her. It was you Barry. He was trying to kill you. And Sophia, he…he said he was impressed by you, that he created you, that he won't let you get in his way."

"His blood pressure's 20 and his heart rate is 147," Caitlin informed them and Sophia's eyes went wide.

"We need to pull him out," Sophia warned, if they didn't soon he could go into cardiac arrest, or worse, have a stroke.

"He's losing higher brain function."

"Cisco, you're gonna be okay. It's just a dream. You're gonna be okay," Barry reassured, trying to calm him down, but whatever he was seeing in the dreamscape was traumatising enough to keep him on edge.

"He's going to get through the shield. His hand, it's around her neck, he's going to kill her," Cisco started to panic, his blood pressure rising even higher than before, his breathing faster and heavier to match. "Oh, god, he killed her, he ripped her heart out. Oh, god, he's gonna kill me." Barry froze at Cisco's words, hearing that he had ripped her heart out of her chest was more painful than anything, and as he turned his head slowly to look up at his girlfriend, he wished he could say something, he wished that he could apologise, promise her that he would protect her. He had done so only an hour before, promising her that she wouldn't die in the future. But if he couldn't even protect her in the alternate timeline, what made him think he could do that now.

"He's gonna have a stroke. Get him out of there."

"Help me, please!" Cisco yelled out.

"Quickly," Sophia urged, and Caitlin typed away as fast as she could trying to disconnect the device safely before she could remove the glasses.

"Help me!"

"Aah," Cisco gasped as he jumped into a sitting position on the table, his chest heaving. Caitlin pulled off headset and brought Cisco into a hug, holding onto him tight.

"You're okay, it was just a dream. You're okay," Caitlin comforted Cisco.

"Oh, God. It felt so real," He said, dragging a hand down the side of his face.

"Barry?" Sophia called, trying to get his attention as she saw the void look in his eyes.

"My mom. That's why it's my fault," He choked out. He had been the reason his mother was in danger. Because the Reverse-Flash wanted to kill him, not his mother. He had been the cause of her death. He felt this enormous weight sitting inside his chest. Not only had he been the one to cause his mother's death, but in the other timeline, he had let Sophia and Cisco get killed. He had let the one person he loved more than anything in this world, murdered by the same man who had killed his mother.

"Bar," Sophia reached out to him, to comfort him, to tell him it wasn't his fault. "It's not your fault. It's not, I swear to god-" Sophia didn't get to finish her sentence when Barry's phone went off.

"Hello?" Barry picked up the phone, still dazed from what had transpired only moments ago.

"Barry." It was Harrison Wells Eobard Thawne. "Barry are you there?" Dr. Wells asked, as he was met with silence.

"Dr. Wells," Barry said aloud, causing everyone's eyes to follow him. "Yeah. It's…sorry, yeah. It's…it's a bad connection right now."

"Where have you been? And, Sophia too. I haven't been able to get a hold of her either."

"Uh, we're together. Why? What's going on?" Barry asked.

"A fire. A _huge_ fire just erupted."

"A fire? Where?"

"Bradford Tower High-Rise," Harrison informed.

"I know that building. That's where Captain Singh's fiancé works. We're on our way."

* * *

Sophia sent a wave of energy into the window of the building on the 21st floor, shattering the glass, leaving shards littering the floor. She flew inside, picking up as many civilians as she could at once, placing them in a bubble and flying them down to the ground outside safely. She continued to do this whilst Barry spoke with Wells, trying to figure out what to do. The sprinklers weren't working, and there were too many people up here. They needed to eradicate the fire.

It was so widespread that Sophia wouldn't be able to do much, but help those that were stuck, escape.

"Dr. Wells, please, what do I do?" Barry was desperate and he felt sick that he had to ask this man for help. But if it meant that these people would leave here alive today, then he would do it.

"You create a vacuum. Rotate your arms at super-speed. That'll create a wind funnel that will suck the air right out of the room."

"It's making it worse," Barry yelled as he did what he said. He had moved his arms at an inhumane speed, creating what looked like a horizontal tornado to try and get rid of the fire, but it just wasn't working.

"Barry, listen to me. You need to move your arms faster," Dr. Wells instructed. Sophia had just sent down another person, and as she was about to fly across the hall to grab another woman who was crying by the water-fountain, she listened in on the conversation. She looked over at Barry, sending him a smile.

"Barry, you can do this. I believe in you," Sophia said. "I believe in you."

Her words seemed to ignite some sort of faith inside of him, and he tried his best, moving his arms faster, rotating them clockwise as he created the vacuum again, this time, and successfully putting out the fire as Sophia brought down the last person stuck in the building, landing on the ground safely.

He met her on the ground, and she threw a proud smile his way before they made their way back to Star Labs.

* * *

Barry was back in Star Labs, changed out of his scarlet suit, and donning a pair of dark wash jeans and his signature blue plaid shirt, one that Sophia loved oh so much. And he smirked as he noticed her ogling. If had been anyone else he would have reacted with a shy smile or flushed cheeks, but at this point in their relationship, it was very much welcomed and he sent a wink her way once he had noticed, taking the time to also check her out. She was now dressed in tight fitted black jeans, ripped at the knees, and she wore a simple denim blue button down on top. It was simple and effortless, but it made her look like she was a goddess in his eyes.

And just like that, his good mood had disappeared as soon as Wells started to speak.

"Mr. Allen. Tonight, at the fire, I saw hesitation. I saw you doubting yourself. Why is that?" Dr. Wells inquired.

"I don't know. Uh, I guess I was afraid I couldn't save everyone."

"Right. But if there is anything that I have learned in our time together, Barry, it is that the only thing standing in the way of you achieving every goal that you set for yourself, is you. There is no limit to how strong you will get or how fast you will go. Everything that you need, you already have," Dr. Wells said, and just as his last sentence rolled off his tongue, Sophia walked into the room and Barry couldn't help but think that it was perfect timing. As though she was the reminder, that he was doing this not just for himself, not for the safety of others, not just to avenge his mother, not just to release his father, but for her. To protect her, and in turn, protect his future life with her.

"Thank you, Dr. Wells."

"You know, I couldn't have done any of this without you," Barry said as Sophia came to stand next to him.

"I feel the same way about you. Both of you."

Sophia did her very best to crack a smile, and make things seem normal, but all she could see when she looked at Harrison Wells, was a murderer. She didn't know how Barry was fairing right now, and she prayed that his strength would be enough for the both of them.

* * *

"It's so strange. I mean, I look at him now, and I know that he killed my mom and he sent my dad to jail, but I mean, sometimes he's just so kind in the moment, I actually like him," Barry said. It felt weird, to say it out loud, but he knew that deep down, once things moved further he probably wouldn't see things this way. "But you never did." Barry's words were directed at Joe, who had his arms crossed, and a frown on his face.

"No," Joe stated simply, causing Barry to grin.

"No," Sophia laughed joining in. "At least, not anymore."

"Well, at least we know how to trap him. In Cisco's dream, he confessed to everything. If we can just recreate those conditions, he'll do it again."

"Man, Bar. Taking down bad guys, pulling confessions. I'm the cop. I'm the one that's supposed to be doing this," Joe said, keeping a light tone, but the heavy weight of his words, let Barry know that Joe was feeling slightly guilty.

"Look, if we're gonna get him to confess, it has to be with someone that he truly trusts, someone that he'll genuinely let his guard down with."

"He thinks of Cisco as a son, it has to be him," Sophia suggested.

"Well, then we need to do a better job protecting him than I did protecting you."

"I'm not sure what that means," Barry said, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Barry, this is all because of me," Joe said.

"No." Barry shook his head in disagreement.

"I never should've let Wells take you from that hospital. None of this would have happened."

"If you hadn't let him take me, I would be dead, for sure."

"But even then, I knew something wasn't right. Everything in my gut was telling me not to trust him, but I did, because I was so desperate to see you okay."

"Joe, this isn't your fault. It's not your fault," Barry pressed.

"Everything bad that has happened to us, all of it… it was him. None of you are to blame," Sophia finally spoke up, and the two looked at her. "And I promise you both, now that we know who he really is, he's gonna pay."

And with that, Sophia stalked out of the room, ready to go make some preparations, she wasn't going to let Wells get away again.

* * *

Sophia practiced for hours on end down at the abandoned air strip, wielding her energy, practicing different techniques, manoeuvres and more in an attempt to push herself to her limits. She now knew that Wells had been able to phase through her shields in the alternate universe, according to Cisco's tales. She wasn't going to let it happen again. She was going to make sure that he stayed down.

With sweat trickling down her forehead, and her body sore from the extensive training, she sat down for a quick break, downing a full bottle of water. She panted as she tried to bring her heart rate down, taking a look at her watch and seeing the time. It was just after 11pm at night. She wondered what the team was doing right now. She knew that they were planning something to get Wells to confess tomorrow, by recreating the scene with Cisco, but she wondered if she would be involved. She knew that she wanted to be there regardless, but her brain kept replaying the pain of having her heart ripped out of her chest, and the fact that she died in the future and at the hands of the same man struck a sense of fear in her heart that she hadn't felt before.

It made her feel weak. It was a feeling that she never wanted to have to endure again.

So she continued her practice and training into the early hours of the morning, flying around, exploding things, creating shields and barriers until she was tired to the bone. The alarm on her watch went off, indicating that it was now two am. She groaned, lying flat on the concrete ground of the airstrip, her eyes staring up at the starry night.

She didn't realise how exhausted she really was. And not just physically, but emotionally. The last few weeks had been a constant tirade of death and destruction, secrecy and silence. She wasn't sure how she was coping with this. For any normal person, it would have been debilitating at the very least, but then again she wasn't exactly normal, not anymore. She didn't realise that she had been a meta-human for so long now, that it was nearing a full year of being different. Sophia was brought out of her thoughts when her phone rang. She reluctantly pushed herself up off the ground to go grab it from her backpack that was a few meters away, flying towards it as she was too lazy to actually use her legs and walk over there.

She opened it up to see that it was Clark calling. She sighed, picking up the phone, hoping to hear some good news. She had spoken to him a few days ago in the hopes that Anna's condition would have improved, but he hadn't been able to tell her anything, leaving them both down as they waited for Anna to come back.

"Hey, Clark."

"Sophia, how are you?"

"As well as I can be, I guess. The last few days have been quite… insane," Sophia said, running a hand through her hair, realising that it had grown quite a bit in the past few months, and was now at least a good two inches past her shoulder. It reminded her that after all this mess was dealt with she needed to get it cut, preferring the short locks over the longer look she was running with now. "And you?"

"It's been quite the day actually, and that's why I called," Clark said. "I'm coming over for a quick visit, I've got a surprise for you."

"What?" Sophia asked in confusion, and a moment later, she felt the rush of wind, and two pairs of feet landing on the ground behind her. She turned around slowly, to see Clark in his suit, as Superman, and Anna standing next to him, with tears in her eyes and a bright smile on her face, and a look of recognition as she saw Sophia.

"Soph, it's me," Anna said, walking towards her.

"You remember?" Sophia nearly yelped in excitement, rushing towards her friend despite her lack of energy, and wrapping her in a tight hug, the two girls holding onto each other and crying tears of happiness. Sophia placed a kiss on Anna's cheek, smiling widely.

"I remember," Anna replied. She had a lot of explaining to do, and she wanted to do it in person. Knowing that Sophia was dealing with a lot lately, she had made sure to ask Clark to bring her to Central City, finding that it would be better than dragging Sophia to Metropolis yet again. Anna would have come on her own, but as she was still recovering, she knew that she shouldn't exert herself too much with her powers.

"How about we take this, somewhere a bit warmer?" Clark suggested. It was freezing out, and though it didn't affect him, he knew that Anna and Sophia would start to feel the cold soon.

"Sorry, yes, we can go back to my apartment," Sophia said and within a few minutes, they were up in the air, Sophia leading the way as Clark flew with Anna in his arms, downtown through Central City and into Anna's apartment.

Upon arrival, Sophia apologised for the mess that was her apartment. She had found that in between all the craziness going on, she hadn't had enough time to tidy up. She made a quick dash into her bedroom to wash off the smell and sweat of training whilst Anna and Clark sat in her kitchen, enjoying a hot beverage, and Anna getting reacquainted with Chewie, who seemed to be excited that Anna had returned.

Walking back into the room, now dressed in a comfortable pair of track-suit pants, and a grey jumper, Sophia sat across from the two, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"So, when did this all happen?"

"This morning actually. I woke up, and something just felt different. I remembered… everything," Anna said. Clark had a smile attached to his face the entire time, he seemed to be enamoured by Anna's happiness, and Sophia's eyes twinkled as she watched the two interact with their quick glances, and their secret smiles.

"That's such a relief," Sophia laughed, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

"It really is," Clark threw in. Both Lois and Jimmy had also been desperately worried about Anna, always trying their best to help her remember, and before that, doing everything they could to aid in the capture of Ellain and Amara. Clark was just glad that those two were locked up, leaving Anna to heal in peace, not having to look over her shoulder in the fear that they would be lurking, ready to pounce.

"Well, I think you have a lot of explaining to do, missy," Sophia said, as she crossed her arms and looked over at Anna.

"Hey, there now, no need to be so haughty, you didn't tell me you had powers either," Anna pointed out in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, but let's be real, you had them way before I did, plus, you disappeared for months and I had no way of communicating with you, so it was a bit hard," Sophia threw back at her friend with a grin.

"You know what, I'm going to let you two have this conversation in private. Just let me when you're ready to leave," Clark said to Anna, placing his hand on her shoulder as he walked into Sophia's living room and sitting down on her couch, giving them enough privacy.

"So, who goes first?"

"You," Sophia said, leaning over the bench as Anna got into the detailed story of her insane life. She spoke of how she was born with her powers, and they only developed once she hit a certain age. She was a bit vague when it came to telling the story of her going into travelling back and forth between the past, present and the future. Anna said it was mostly hard to understand, so she would go into depth later when they had more time. Anna mostly spoke about why she had gone to the future in the first place. Apparently she came from a long line of time travellers, though her parents didn't have the gene, but her great grandmother did, and that's where she got it from. It was her destiny to travel through time to protect people. That's how she found herself in the future, receiving tutelage from a man named Ellain Knight. But, something had happened between the two, he had changed sides, and he decided that he wanted to use his power for something greater than helping people, at least in his eyes. He desired Anna's power and ached to have her work alongside him, but when she refused, and travelled back to the past to live her life as normal, and hide from him, he decided otherwise, and thus began his hunt for her with his new companion Amara, who had an affinity for technology and invisibility.

Anna then went to explain how in the future, she had met Superman, and how he had helped her along the way, and in escaping Ellain the first time around. It was when he made an appearance in the 21st Century, at her home in Central City that she knew she had to flee. That's when Anna had faked her death, reaching out for the help of Superman in this century, hoping that she would be able to convince him to help her. And from there, Sophia knew the rest of the story. How she had been attacked, lost her memory and more. The puzzle was starting to form together, piece by piece as Anna continued to speak. Anna even explained to Sophia how her powers worked, the fact that not only was she able to travel through time, she was able to teleport as well, moving from one distance to another, as long as she could picture the place in her mind, she was able to go there.

Sophia's mouth was agape most of the time, unable to picture Anna of all people with such power. But nonetheless, she was impressed with the strength Anna continued to emit through her behaviour, especially after all that had happened to her.

Sophia then took the opportunity to tell Anna everything that had been going on in Central City. And she meant… _everything._ Of course, she had omitted the names that were associated with the vigilantes, and heroes that she knew, but she had told Anna mainly of what was happening with Dr. Wells, how they thought he was from the future, how she had seen an article that had said she had died…everything. Anna hadn't known any of it, having been way past 2024 when she travelled, and was surprised to hear of the news.

"Wow, that's…" Anna trailed off, unsure of what to say after she heard all the drama that Sophia had been suffering through.

"Confusing, I know," Sophia sighed, taking a sip of her drink. "I'm just glad that you're alright."

"Likewise. I missed you," Anna said, giving Sophia a soft smile. Anna's eyes then drifted to the clock sitting in the corner of the room, indicating that it was nearing four am. They had been sitting and chatting for just over two hours even though it felt like much longer.

"I better be going, I need to rest up. Doctor's orders," Anna told Sophia, standing up and moving over to her, to bring her into a hug.

"Promise that you'll visit again soon?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

And with that Anna went to wake up Clark who had snoozed off on the couch while he was waiting. The two left, waving goodbye as they flew off into the night and back to Metropolis. Sophia sighed, turning the lights off in her apartment and trudged back to her bed, belly flopping in the middle of the soft mattress and drifting off into a peaceful sleep in an instant, finally feeling a bit of the weight lifted off her shoulders, ready to get some sleep and tackle the day ahead with an open mind.

* * *

Sophia's alarm had blared at eleven am, and with closed hers, she felt around for her phone, tapping the snooze button yet again. She knew that she didn't have to be in Star Labs for a while, and it was a great feeling being able to sleep in.

After getting up and making some breakfast for herself, she was greeted with a lovely phone call from Barry, giving her the quick download of today's plans. Cisco had already set up the trap down in the lab, and everything was coming together. She could hear Barry's nerves over the phone, and she reassured him that everything would be fine.

"We've come this far, we can do this." She told him, receiving a sigh in response. "I've got to get changed. I'll meet you there in an hour."

"See you there, sweetheart." And with that Barry hung up and Sophia was on the move.

* * *

"I've reversed the force field to keep a speedster from getting in," Cisco announced, proud of his work. Sophia admired the force field, appreciating it in every way possible. It looked very similar to that of her own, the bright blue contrasting against the dark metallic colour of the room.

"Back up," Barry told them, and everyone took a step back to the left, while Barry ran at it in full speed, his body rebounding off it and flying backwards onto the ground.

"Barry, are you okay?" Caitlin asked.

"Ah," He groaned, sitting up. "It works."

"In the other universe, Sophia had actually managed to alter it so that no Meta could get in at all, but I forgot how we did it. It was fun to watch her fly at it as well," Cisco mused and Sophia whacked him on the back of the head.

"Thanks for enjoying my pain," Sophia said sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"No worries, sister."

"Okay, as long as I'm inside, Wells won't be able to get near me."

"And I will be in the Cortex watching and recording everything that happens," Caitlin said.

"And Barry and I will be on stand-by, in case something goes wrong. We're not going to let anything happen to you, Cisco," Sophia said. She had found that her training had paid off. She had asked Barry upon arrival, to try and phase through one of her shields, and he hadn't been able to, so she hoped that was the same for Eobard Thawne. Cisco and Sophia had discussed it earlier, and decided it would be better to have only Cisco there for Wells to confront, and though Sophia disagreed with this, Barry had supported the idea as well, not wanting her in harms way. She figured it was just because of the dream, but she knew that there was no way she wasn't going to be in the room. If they didn't want her by Cisco's side, that was fine, but she was going to stay regardless.

"And as soon as we get the confession, we need to free my dad," Barry said.

"So what do I do?" Eddie questioned, feeling quite useless at the moment.

"Wells also threatened Iris, so if something goes wrong here, we need you to keep an eye on her until Wells is neutralised," Joe told Eddie. He was trusting his daughter's life with Eddie, and seeing as though the detective was going to propose, Joe thought it was fitting.

"I'll always keep Iris safe, Joe," Eddie promised, before walking out of the room, ready to go and do just that.

Sophia walked over to Barry who looked anxious. She couldn't even begin to wonder what was running through his head right now.

"You feeling nervous?"

"Yeah, I just want everything to go according to plan, you know," Barry said, wringing his hands together. Sophia looked down, noticing this and grabbed his hands, holding them with her own.

"It's alright to be nervous, but remember what I said to you earlier. We can do this," Sophia told him. "After all that's happened, all that is still happening, I believe in us, as a team. We have the power to stop him, all you have to do is believe in it," Sophia said, letting out a breath. Barry didn't say anything for a moment, just continued to gaze into her eyes, a smile slowly peeling away on his face.

"I think with you by my side, anything is possible," Barry said, and she laughed, pulling him in for a tight hug, resting her head against his chest, as he tucked her head underneath his chin, holding her close and breathing in her scent.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Hello, Dr. Wells," Caitlin greeted as she watched him roll into the room. "How was your lecture?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation casual, hoping he wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Oh, boring, tedious."

"Platitudinous?" Caitlin supplied.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," He replied with a smile. "Um, where… where's Cisco?" Dr. Wells asked, looking around to see that it was only Caitlin in the cortex. He had been informed that Barry and Sophia would be taking the day off, but he had expected to see Cisco lurking around as per usual.

"Uh, he is in the bunker," Caitlin said. "He thinks he finally figured out what went wrong at Christmas. You know, when we were trying to catch the Reverse-Flash?" Caitlin said, watching his expression carefully.

"Yes, I remember that night," Dr. Wells replied stiffly. "Well, did he say what he's found?"

"Nope, just that it was important," Caitlin continued, hoping that the vague words would peak his interest.

"Hmm. Good for Cisco."

"Um… okay," Caitlin was unsure of what to say to that.

"Well, maybe I'll wheel on down there, see what he's got," Dr. Wells suggested, moving out of the room before Caitlin could even utter the word _Okay_.

"Here he comes," Caitlin warned through the ear piece that only a select few could hear.

Sophia was crouched behind one of the super capacitors, with Barry and Joe by her side, watching carefully as they expected to see Dr. Wells wheel into the room, but alas, they had been wrong. He zoomed into the room, leaving a rush of air in his wake, waking towards Cisco who was just in front of the force field, ready to jump in when the time called for it.

Wells started to clap, and Cisco was eerily brought back to his dream where this had all happened once before.

"Hello, Cisco. You've been busy," Dr. Wells said, causing everyone to watch him with careful eyes. "You really are incredibly clever, Cisco. I've always said it."

"You're him. The Reverse-Flash," Cisco managed to squeak out. Even though he knew that he was pretty safe in this situation, with the force field behind him to protect him in a moment's notice, and two superheroes on stand-by the fear, was still there. "Joe was right this whole time, wasn't he?"

"Good ol' Joe. Joe West had his doubts all along. Even from that first night in the hospital, Joe knew something wasn't right. Cops…as inconvenient now as they will be in a hundred years."

"Come on, Cisco. We need a confession," Barry whispered to himself and Sophia placed her hand in his, holding onto it tight for support as he threw a worried glance her way.

"You killed Barry's mother. I want to know why," Cisco asked directly, his words coming out stronger than before.

"It was never my intention to kill Nora. But from my perspective, she was already dead. It just happened sooner than it was supposed to."

"No. That's not an admission," Barry cursed under his breath.

" _Oops_ ," Dr. Wells said with a light tone.

"You're not gonna get away with this."

"I'm not gonna get away with it?"

"Oh, you're smart. You're smart, Cisco," Dr. Wells said as he watched Cisco from the inside of the force field, taking a step forward. "But you're not that smart." Wells walked through the force field, leaving Cisco shaking in fear, with wide eyes as he watched him to what was meant to be the impossible.

"Cisco!" Sophia yelled, getting up from her position. Wells had just breached the field and she wasn't going to let her friend die.

"No!" Barry yelled out as Joe fired his gun at Wells, to prevent him from attacking Cisco. Barry ran at super-speed, catching two of the bullets in the palm of his hand, throwing them to the ground, but one last stray bullet had just flown out of his grasp and he yelled out shock as Wells collapsed to the ground, the bullet wounds bleeding out as his body lay on the ground, eyes glued shut. "He didn't confess," Barry whispered out in a voice of defeat.

"Cisco, are you okay?" Sophia asked, as they turned the force field off, gathering around the dead body of Dr. Wells.

"Yeah. I'm never gonna sleep ever again, but, yeah, I'm okay," Cisco told her, as she pulled him into a quick hug.

"He's dead. He didn't confess. Joe, this was it. My dad's gonna be in prison forever," Barry cried out, punching the wall in anger, pain crying out in his knuckles.

"Barry, I'm sorry," Joe said with a solemn tone. This was the last move, and they had just lost the game.

"Hey, uh… _Woah_ , what the hell?" Cisco yelled out, causing them all to glance over and see the body that was Harrison Wells, morph into Hannibal Bates original form.

"I told you this before. I am always one step ahead… Flash," The voice of Harrison Wells, aka Eobard Thawne, rang out in the room, sending shivers down their spines. They thought they had caught him in a trap, when in reality it had been the other way around.

"Allow me to reintroduce you to Mr. Hannibal Bates and his incredibly ability to transform into any person he touches. I knew that ability would come in handy. I did not expect it to come in handy this soon."

"You used him!" Barry yelled out into the void, knowing very well that Harrison could hear him. "Like you used all of us!"

"Well, he served a purpose. Didn't take much convincing. Just the simple promise of his freedom."

"You ruined my life. All your lives! We stood by you after everything that happened."

"I can see how this must be difficult for you to understand, but trust me, your lives are now so much better because of what I have done for you. Especially, you're girlfriends, she was nothing in the future, I made her," Wells said ominously.

"You don't have to hide anymore," Joe called out. "We know you're not Harrison Wells."

"A confession will get you nowhere."

"You've seen who I am. You know what I can do. You want to kill me, go ahead. I'm not gonna fight you. But just tell the police what you did, get my dad out of prison." The desperation in Barry's voice alone was enough to break Sophia's heart.

"We know who you are Eobard, there's no escaping it now. Just help Barry," Sophia pleaded. She knew that he was a psychopath for sure, but she hoped that deep down, there had been some sort of humanity inside of him, that it wasn't just an act.

"I don't want to kill you, Barry. I need you. And… I also did not anticipate, as difficult as the past 15 years have been for me, how much I would come to love working with you all," He said, and Sophia clenched her jaw at his words. "With all of you. And yet, that does not change what needs to happen."

"Then face us, stop being a coward," Sophia yelled angrily into the distance, and Cisco watched her with admiring eyes, noting how in this moment she was the definition of "Fight me".

" _Oh_ , we will face each other again. I promise you. Soon."

Cisco's phone vibrated, and as he looked down he saw the location of Wells.

"Very, very soon."

"He's in the time vault!" Cisco yelled and Barry rushed over there in a second, leaving the others behind, meeting them in the cortex.

"It was all a set-up. We thought we set a trap for him, but he set a trap for us."

"Shit," Sophia cursed, her eyes glowing cobalt out of anger. She wanted to hit something, preferably Wells, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. He wasn't ready to fight them, not yet.

" _Iris_ ," Joe breathed out. "We have to find Iris."

"Why?"

"Wells. He's been watching all of us," Barry explained. "He has surveillance footage set up everywhere. Our homes, my lab at the police station, Central City Picture News."

"Cisco, call me when you have a location," Barry said, rushing out in an attempt to find Eddie and Iris in the city, with Sophia along his side.

Sophia took to the air, flying over to the location that Cisco had directed her to, landing on the bridge where Iris stood, only to see Barry run past them both, leaving a trail of yellow electricity behind as he attempted to follow the red that was sparking across the city, in an attempt to retrieve Eddie who had just been kidnapped.

"Are you alright?" Sapphire asked, placing her hand on Iris's shoulder. Her eyes travelled across Iris, relieved that she wasn't injured, but the girl's face said it all. Confusion, anger, despair, it was all evident on Iris's face.

"I'm fine, b-but, the Reverse-Flash, he took Eddie. He took my fiancé," Iris whimpered, looking down at the diamond ring on her finger. He had just proposed only a moment ago, slipping the delicate piece of jewellery on her finger and within seconds, he was ripped from her grasp, taken away by the man this city feared the most. Sophia let out a shaky breath as well, but she looked Iris in the eye, trying to comfort her as best as she could in this form.

"I promise you, we'll get him back, _I promise_."

* * *

 **A / N – The cat is out of the bag.**

 **Wells knows that they know that he isn't the real Wells. GAH.**

 **I've been waiting for this moment for so long, I am so excited as we reach the final chapters of this story. There are approximately 3 more chapters to go til this wraps up tight. I will try my very best to have them out on time. I can't believe that I have managed to get this story out without any delays. Always a new update once a week. It's been hard, but I am so glad that I stuck to it.**

 **Also a reminder, don't forget to follow NEW ROMANTICS it's an AU series of one-shot stories for Barry and Sophia, and the rest of the Flash gang. I will be posting short stories there to keep you all occupied while I work on the sequel.**

 **Also a massive shout out to every single follower, favourite(r) and reviewer. You are all amazing, beautiful people and I love you. This story has over 30,000 hits, 150 reviews and an amazing 189 follows. I never thought in my wildest dreams that this story would be such a hit, and I am so glad that you've all come along for the journey.**

 **Love you all. Keep reviewing!**

 **Replies:**

 **Turtlekier42: Thank you for the support. I mean I liked that chapter and all but felt it was lacking something… anyways, this one was much more exciting to write, hope you like it!**

 **CuteGlasses: I actually laughed while writing that. It clicked in Sophia's head that it wasn't really Barry when he smirked at her. She knew that if the REAL Barry had done that, regardless he would say something not just stand there. PLUS with Hannibal Bates on the loose, it wasn't that hard to connect the dots. I'd like to think that she was taking her frustration out on him when she knocked him out so violently. Like there were plenty of ways to "disable" him of sorts, but she went ahead and blasted him with energy and punched him into unconsciousness. Oh the feels. Yeah, I mentioned it like in the first few chapters of the story, that her godmother was the D.A. I didn't mention names, but then that was revealed this time, with Cecile in the episode. Glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review, as always.**

 **Natalie: GIRL. 4 Reviews from you this time round. Always supportive and exciting as ever. Thanks love. For sure, I'm going to be introducing another villain in the sequel SPECIFICALLY for Sophia. Still working the logistics, but I'll probably end up having that villain team up with Zoom. I haven't actually thought about a face-claim for Sophia, but if it had to be like anyone, probably Chloe Bennet. NOT that Sophia looks exactly like her, but they share similar features, so that's sort of a picture you could use, if you wanted to. But Sophia's probably a bit taller than her, and she has freckles… and there are a few differences. BUT she is the closest.**

 **RHatch89: Thanks for the review! Loving all the support, you guys are too great.**

 **CRAZYJAMES1: Sarry is their ship name indeed! All abort the Sarry ship. Glad that you enjoyed the chapter, hope you like this one.**

 **Kindleflame5: I haven't had them move in together yet, because I want to save that for the sequel, but they pretty much spend all their time together. Barry is at her apartment most nights because she has the privacy of her own place, and they don't want to intrude on Joe all the time, but occasionally she will have a sleepover at the West household.**

 **Witchbaby300: I am screaming too! I missed your reviews, glad to see you're still here and ready to fangirl about Sarry! (P.S. I have fallen behind in my writing as well because of UNI work and also Netflix (which is bad) but I can't help it, so no judging here girl). YES, HOW INSANE IS THAT, ALSO I really am eager to see what you think about my alterations to the timeline! I WOULD TOTALLY but I didn't want to get Barry/Sophia in an angsty fight again, there's so much drama going on, I didn't want to add to it, plus I thought it would be a super cute scene where he reassures her that he would never do that. More superman this time round! Yes, I started writing this story before the crossover had aired, and I didn't realise, but I don't really care, and I wanted to have them all in the same universe, so that I can introduce JUSTICE LEAGUE elements later on. Hope you loved this chapter, and thank you for your review, it seriously made me smile!**

 **Shadowhunters12: Again, thanks for all your support with this story. And the drama continues… and its basically not going to stop. Iris did frustrate me in that episode, but then I put myself in her shoes. She doesn't know what's going on, so it's not her fault for being upset with Eddie, after all he is keeping a secret. But don't worry, she is definitely going to redeem herself. I also changed things so that Eddie does actually get the chance to propose, and she has the ring on her finger. Yeah, I wanted to bring that side out in Sophia, to show case how much she actually loves Barry, that she's terrified of losing him in any way, shape or form. Well, he did, but I decided not to write it… the chapter was getting quite long, and I was getting lazy, but yeah. Also I thought it was hilarious that she asked that question. Hope this episode answers some of those questions, ALSO it's not completely revealed what exactly is written on the article as they don't have enough time, later on in another chapter or two, more information is discovered, and let's just say… it's a bit devastating.**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	26. Guilty as Charged

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Sophia's body and mind were aching by the time she had returned back to her apartment that night, climbing through her window and landing in a heap on her floor by her bed. She had searched tirelessly with Barry throughout the night for Eddie, looking in every crack and crevice of Central City, but they had come up with nothing. Barry had insisted that Sophia go home for the night, and that they would continue their search in the morning, but when she realised he wasn't coming with her, she felt bad. But she knew that Barry felt as though it was his responsibility to keep looking for Eddie, if only for a little bit longer, so she had reluctantly let him go, working with Joe, Cisco and Caitlin to fix this.

She felt guilty for coming home empty-handed when Iris was sitting at her father's house, weeping for the loss of her fiancé. She couldn't imagine the emotional turmoil that Iris was currently going through, and she wanted nothing more than to just find Eddie, and then kick Eobard Thawne's ass for all the pain and heart break he had caused them.

Sophia wanted to speak with Joe, to plead that they reveal their secrets to Iris. She knew that it would at least make things clear, that Iris would be at a bit of ease knowing what was going on, and it would allow her to be involved in helping Eddie, instead of sitting on her couch and worrying when the mysterious Flash and Sapphire would turn up with her fiancé. But there was a part of Sophia that was terrified that Iris would never forgive them for keeping it a secret. She figured that's why Joe had shot the idea down when she had asked, but Sophia had a feeling that Iris would be finding out sooner rather than later, whether they wanted her to or not.

Sophia had trudged into her bathroom, turning the handle in the shower, letting the hot water rush out of the pipes, building up steam in her bathroom. She was too tired to even bother shutting the door as she stripped down from her suit, leaving the dark blue leather in a pile on the floor. The water hit her skin, burning to the touch, and after a while, her skin felt numb, but she didn't bother turning down the heat.

Her mind was racing with thoughts even though her body was frozen under the water as it dripped down her body. She didn't even move for the lavender soap, or the silky shampoo that she loved so much. She just stood there, thinking about her life, thinking about what had just happened in the past few days.

She had found out a lot of things.

Dying in an alternate timeline at the hands of the Reverse-Flash.

Dying in the future at the hands of the Reverse-Flash.

Eddie being kidnapped by the Reverse-Flash.

Marrying Barry Allen.

Out of all the cons, she had only found one pro, and even though it made her swoon at the very thought of spending the rest of her life with Barry, of having kids with Barry, of growing old with Barry… that's where the dream sort of ended. Because in reality she wasn't. She died in that future, and she would never get those things. She wouldn't be able to grow old with Barry, and that was thanks to one psychopath in a yellow suit.

And that's what prompted her to think about the endless ways that she would fight to defeat the Reverse-Flash. After standing under the water for a good twenty minutes, the skin on her hands started to shrivel and she felt like she was going red. She turned off the shower, finishing up and throwing on the most comfortable pair of pyjamas she could find. Which meant she just threw on one of Barry's old t-shirts and a pair of track pants, collapsing on her bed, curling up into a ball as she waited for her boyfriend to get home.

Her heart ached for Iris and Eddie. She felt so lost right now. She didn't know what to do, what they were going to do. The Reverse-Flash seemed to have the one up on them every single time. The trap that they thought was for him, had been reversed and turned out to be a trap for themselves and they didn't see it coming from a mile away. She lay in that position for god knows how long until Barry came stumbling through her apartment, a defining look of defeat written across his tired face. His legs ached from running so fast, and he was just so sick of this game, but he knew deep down that they had to keep hope, it was all they had left.

"Hey sweetheart," Barry whispered, as he zoomed in and out of the shower, quickly refreshing himself. He knew that if he had done it at a normal speed that he would have fallen asleep in there. He climbed into bed, laying behind Sophia and spooned her, draping his arm across her abdomen as he pulled her close, nuzzling his head into her shoulder, drinking her scent in to relax himself. All night he felt the erratic thump of his pulse underneath his skin, and only now that he was next to her, did he feel it start to slow down to a steady pace that almost lulled him into sleep.

"Hey." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she replied, her body still feeling numb. She wasn't sure if it was psychological, or just from the ridiculously hot shower she had just taken.

"Are you okay?"

"No," She whispered back after a few seconds. "Are you?"

He hesitated as he thought over her question. "Not really…" He heard her let out a hearty sigh, her warm breath tickling his neck as she nuzzled closer to him. "We're gonna get through this," Barry told her, even though he wasn't so sure he believed the words himself.

"I hope so," Sophia managed to choke out, twisting in her position so she was now facing him, their foreheads resting against each other, her palm on his chest, and his hands on her waist.

"Just try and get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day, we'll find Eddie, we'll sort this all out," Barry said, placing soft kisses on her neck, moving slowly to her jaw and then finally her cheek. Though he was tired, his lips were almost automatic as they roamed her face, and the actions alone felt…therapeutic.

"I love you," Sophia uttered, unable to help herself. The Reverse-Flash took Eddie in less than a millisecond, and she realised that she was truly afraid that it would happen again, and that he would take Barry from her.

"I love you too," He murmured pressing a light kiss to her forehead before holding her close against his chest, his body drifting off into a fitful rest that he so desperately needed.

* * *

The following morning, Sophia and Barry found themselves walking through the halls of Star Labs, looking like absolute zombies. As much as they had tried, they hadn't received a wink of sleep all night, tossing and turning, eventually just settling for talking to each other. The dark circles under Sophia's eyes were deep seas of purple and blue, and even the best concealer she owned wasn't enough to hide it completely from sight, so she opted to wear a pair of her biggest sunglasses until realising that it made it even harder for her to see with her tired eyes.

They had gotten out of bed just before six am, deciding to quickly run around the city, scanning for any sign or clue that could lead to finding Eddie, but they found nothing. Barry had then gone to the CCPD to meet up with Joe, and try to keep things as normal as possible. It was decided that Eddie's kidnapping would be kept a secret from the CCPD at this point, and it was not sitting well with Iris.

Barry had told Sophia about how Iris had confronted him at the station, explaining what had happened to Eddie, and how The Flash and Sapphire were now looking for him. Iris then went onto tell Barry how she thought it would be better if the police were also looking for Eddie, but he had convinced her otherwise.

"Got anything?" Cisco asked, his voice full of hope as he watched his two friends enter the cortex. But as his gaze lingered on their tired faces, and their solemn expressions, his face dropped realising that they were unsuccessful in their efforts.

Sophia shook her head, running a hand through her hair as Barry plopped down on a chair.

"You plan on keeping all those cameras Wells used to spy on us?" Barry asked as he eyed what Cisco was working on.

"That's kind of creepy, don't you think?" Sophia threw in. She was thankful to know that there had only been one set of cameras hidden in her apartment, at her front door. She wouldn't know what she would have done if she had found them in her living room, or worse, her bedroom of all places. When they had discovered all the hidden cameras, she felt sick to her stomach to know that Wells had been watching them all, every hour of the day, no matter the place. It was more than just an invasion of privacy, and it made her skin crawl to think that he had been spying on them.

"First rule of mechanical engineering, dude. Never waste good tech," Cisco said, his words slightly muffled by the screwdriver that was sitting in the side of his mouth as his hands worked on dismantling one of the camera's hard drives, as he attempted to gather as much information and footage as possible. It was a moment later that the computer beeped and Caitlin was the first to check it out.

"Central City Gold Reverse's under attack," Caitlin announced, bringing up a live feed and map on screen.

"Gold? That's the case Singh wants us on," Barry informed the team.

"I guess we'll be back, soon," Sophia said as they moved out to see what all the fuss was about.

* * *

Gunfire and shouts filled the air as Sophia soared down to the scene of the crime. There were officers laying on the ground unconscious, others firing from a distance as a man in all black pursued his task.

Sophia's feet landed on the ground near the individual and she stepped forward, her movement swift and calculated as she kicked him in the stomach, leaving him heaving. She twisted her body back around, forming a fist, her hand electrified with energy as her fist connected with the bottom of his jaw, lifting him up and sending him flying back against the very truck he was trying to rob.

"You picked a bad day for this, pal," Barry said as he ran in with the intention of finishing the job. But this time, the adversary was prepared and sent out a high-frequency pitch, sending both heroes to the ground, squirming and groaning in pain as their ears were attacked. But following the sound, came an onslaught of disturbing images and thoughts across their vision, giving them more than just a headache. A moment later, Sophia had gathered her bearings and was now leaning against the side of the metal truck, one hand grasping at a handle to keep steady as she looked over at Barry who was kneeling on the floor in a similar struggle.

"What the hell was that?" She asked Barry and he shook his head in response, turning to look around, groaning when he realised that the man had gotten away while they were distracted.

It wasn't long until they left the scene and were back at Star Labs, being examined by Caitlin. Barry insisted that Sophia get checked out first, and so she did. Her vital signs were stable, no abnormalities detected. As soon as Caitlin had reviewed her, she made sure to push Barry onto the bed in the med-bay to get him checked out.

"Your eye movement is normal. No signs of neurological damage," Caitlin said as she moved the small torch from eye to eye, examining his eye reflexes. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

"Do you think the thief might have been a meta-human who put the whammie on you or something?" Cisco asked.

"I certainly hope not. I don't recall that going well the last time round."

"Well, I did get to kick your butt, so something good did come out of it," Sophia teased, and Barry just laughed lightly, shaking his head as he thought about it some more.

"I don't think so. When Rainbow Raider got in my head, all I felt was anger. But this was not that. This was just overwhelming fear," Barry explained as Cisco pulled up the video footage yet again. As they watched what had happened they found that at the exact same time Sophia and Barry had fallen down to the ground in pain, so had the thief.

"Maybe we all got whammied?"

"Then you know how it feels," Iris's voice said, a hint of venom trailing in it as they all turned around in shock to see her standing there. Suddenly the enormity of what she had just witnessed came crashing down on all of them, and they knew what had just happened. Sophia's eyes stared hesitantly at Iris who seemed to be quite upset. She felt her heart constrict in her chest, and anxiety bubble up in her stomach as she realised what was going to happen next. She wanted to close her eyes, to fly out of the room and hide. This was not the way that she wanted to tell Iris about her powers, and she was sure that it wasn't even close to how Barry wanted to reveal that he was indeed The Flash.

"Hi, Barry, Sophia. Or should I say _The Flash_ and _Sapphire_?" Iris asked sarcastically, and if looks could kill, Sophia was certain that Iris West's would. It was dead silent for a moment, so much so that Sophia could hear Cisco's laboured breathing in the corner as he watched the scene unravel with an intense anticipation. Or maybe that was her own breathing, she wasn't quite sure at this point. Her eyes darted back and forth between Barry and Iris and she figured that she should let them speak to each other first.

"Why don't I let you two talk it out first," Sophia suggested, backing away. She knew that Barry and Iris had been more than best friends for pretty much their whole life, they were family. Barry keeping that secret from Iris was a much bigger issue than Sophia's part. She knew that they needed to work this out between themselves, not with her added into all the mess… at least not just yet.

Barry nodded and Iris walked into the room across, closing the door behind them with a loud bang as they started to discuss the situation. And discuss was putting it lightly. They had been gone for a few seconds at most, and Sophia could already hear the high crescendo's of their voices being carried through the walls as they argued. Sophia's nerves were at an all-time high, and her stomach was churning uncomfortably. Iris had been a close friend of hers, and she hated keeping the secret from her. She felt even worse because Iris had trusted her, and she had promised that she would bring Eddie back, but here they were a day later, and still no sign of him. She felt like a rotten failure of a friend.

"This is one of the few times I would not want to be Barry Allen," Cisco said with a small chuckle. "Or you," He pointed out, receiving a glare from Sophia. "I wonder what he's gonna say."

"We should absolutely not listen in," Caitlin said with pursed lips as though she was contemplating the idea.

"It's none of our business," Cisco replied, shaking his head.

" _But_ The Flash is our business," Caitlin tried to rationalise, tilting her head in contemplation.

"And Iris did just find out that Barry's The Flash."

"So by transitive property, Barry and Iris are our business." The two inched forward, ready to un-mute the video feed in the other room, to hear what was going on when Sophia stood behind them with the urge to whack them on the heads.

"If either of you press that button, I will literally smash that screen," Sophia warned, her threat obviously empty, but Barry and Iris needed their privacy and she wasn't about to let the two genius's to her right, exploit that.

"Fine," Cisco grumbled, falling back into his seat. "Party pooper."

It was an agonising ten minutes that felt like it went on for eternity. Barry walked out of the room, looking worn out and Sophia wasn't sure she even wanted to face Iris. But she knew it had to happen. She walked into the room, closing the door and they made eye contact for a moment, silence filling the air.

"I don't want to make up some excuse about how we kept it a secret to protect you, or that we needed to have some sort of alter-ego to fight crime, I just want to say that I am sorry for lying," Sophia apologised, placing her hand on Iris's shoulder.

"It's been over a year, and neither of you decided to let me in on the little secret," Iris said, crossing her arms. She was still fuming from her previous conversation with Barry, having found out that not only did her father know, but Eddie as well. "All this time, you were the one under the blue mask. I actually caught on this morning, when I remembered the necklace."

"The one that Barry gave me. Yeah, I had forgotten it on that day," Sophia mused with a soft smile, her hand coming up to her neck where that very piece of jewellery sat.

"Why didn't you just tell me? I thought we were… _close_ ," Iris said, her voice cracking lightly, making Sophia feel even guiltier than she had previously. Iris didn't want to use the word friend. She knew that Sophia would always be her friend, even if she was angry with her right now.

"The same reason I didn't tell my own father until a couple of weeks ago, I guess I didn't want to worry you, or drag you into this mess. Also because, Joe made us promise not to tell you and I had to respect that. But I'm going to do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness, Iris, because what I did, what we did, that's-that's not what friends do," Sophia whispered and Iris's hardened gaze, softened at the apology. "But you need to understand that some of the things that we've seen, some of the stuff that's happened, I'm glad that you weren't here for it."

"But that's the thing, no one gave me the choice. No one let me be there to help, to be supportive. That was chosen for me," Iris protested. All she wanted was to be included, to be trusted enough to be given the secret, to help her friends. She loved and cherished them more than anything in this world, especially Barry who was practically family. She hated that they had sheltered her in the dark for so long.

"We've come across some terrible things, and if you had known sooner, you would have been caught up in it all. Joe was just trying to protect you, his only daughter. You're the last bit of family he has left and he doesn't want to lose you," Sophia said, her mind flashing back to when the Reverse-Flash had threatened Joe in his house, and then both herself and Iris.

"That's the thing, I'm already caught up in it," Iris choked out. "Eddie is gone." And that's when Iris cracked, the tears that had welled up in her eyes, trickling down her cheeks as she thought about Eddie. Sophia moved forward, bringing her into a hug. "He's gone, and I-I don't know what to do, I don't know what's going on," Iris cried into Sophia's shoulder. Sophia's arms tightened around her, as she patted her back, holding her close, trying to comfort her.

"The promise I made to you last night, I'm going to keep it. Even if it kills me, Iris. I promise you that we're going to find him. We're going to bring Eddie back."

* * *

After Iris left, Sophia figured that she would try and do some more research on the mysterious thief in the mask that had attacked that morning. She wondered if he was a meta-human, or someone like Snart who just wielded that sort of technology to aid them in their crimes.

She had only spent about ten minutes on the computer when she received a phone call from the hospital. She had seen the caller ID and knew that it was probably a call to come into work. She hesitated to pick up, unsure if she would be able to cover another shift. With this new thief on the loose, and an uncertainty of what they were up against, she wanted to stay and do some more research. But as she looked at the phone that was still ringing, she knew that she had a duty as a nurse, and to her job to at least pick up the phone and see what the issue was. It was usually an emergency if they called her when she wasn't rostered on.

"Lang speaking," She answered.

"Cassie here, I just wanted to see if you were available to fill in for a few hours? We're running desperately low on staff. I promise it'll only be a few, until we can get someone else in," Cassie pleaded on the phone.

Sophia looked over at Cisco and he gave her a thumbs up, indicating that it would be all good. After all, Barry would be able to handle it and if things came to be quite dangerous, they would contact her in an instant.

"Sure thing. I'll be there in ten," Sophia told Cassie, the girl letting out a sigh of relief on the other side of the line.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver." And with that she hung up. Sophia wondered if she had a clean pair of scrubs at home, and she hoped that was the case, otherwise she would be a bit late.

"Going into work?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, low on staff, so I'll be there for a few hours. If there's an emergency, let me know."

"Will do," Cisco said with a smile.

"Guess, I'll see you guys soon," Sophia told them, giving them a wave goodbye as she flew out of Star Labs and down to her apartment to change and leave for work. In between all this drama, she felt like she hadn't been to work in what felt like eternity, when in reality it had only been a few days.

As she walked through the halls of the hospital, moving down to the ER, she suddenly felt calm, like she was normal again. The familiar routine put her at ease, and she was more than accommodating when she had to tend to at least eight patients by herself, when that would usually send her into overdrive with the amount of work. She spent four hours there, giving out medications, taking out some stiches in an old lady's right thigh, just above the knee where she had received reconstructive surgery, and most of all, she had spent a great deal of time just talking to them, making sure they felt comfortable and weren't in pain. It reminded her of all the reasons why she chose to be a nurse in the first place, and it reassured her that she had made the right decision when she became Sapphire, helping people in need, helping those who could not help themselves. It put a smile on her face, and reignited hope in her heart, and when she signed off for the day, she felt new again.

Her first aim of the day was to meet up with Barry and figure out what was going on in terms of their thief. She was sure that by now Cisco and Caitlin would have come up with some sort of theory, or even a way to track the movements of the mysterious man.

She had decided to pick up a few coffees and donuts on the way home, feeling like they all needed a little pick me up. Walking into the cortex, she spotted a tall man sitting down on one of their beds, Caitlin pulling what looked like a bullet out of his shoulder.

"Who's the angry Santa?"

"Huh?" Cisco said, turning around. "Is that donuts I smell?"

"Yeah," Sophia said absentmindedly as her eyes were still focused on the man in front of her. "Anyone going to tell me who that is?"

" _Oh_ , I forgot you were in Metropolis when we dealt with him. His name's General Eiling, a real bad person," Cisco said, taking a large bite of the cinnamon donut, savouring the warm taste of the delicious treat. "I love you, Sophia," Cisco pronounced and she smiled, passing him his normal coffee order as well. " _God_ , I love you."

"Cisco, that's _my_ girlfriend," Barry said as he ran into the room, placing a kiss on her cheek, causing Sophia to roll her eyes at his statement.

"So in the four hours I was gone, everything seemed to have exploded," Sophia stated. This always happened, and she always missed the good stuff. Cisco quickly informed her of what went down, with the truck, and with Eiling being the mysterious thief.

"Pretty much."

"What's wrong with him?" She asked, moving closer to get a better look. He looked like one of the dementia patients in the mental health ward, on high doses of anti-psychotics, and it was unsettling at the very least.

"I pulled a bullet out of his shoulder, which should have hurt like hell. And he didn't even seem like he felt it. I also did a complete body scan, and otherwise, General Eiling is perfectly healthy," Caitlin said. She was unsure what was causing him to behave this way.

"So why is he just standing there like an angry robot, straight out of the terminator?" Sophia asked, and Cisco held back a laugh.

"I just got off the phone with ARGUS. Officially, Eiling is on administrative leave," Barry said. He had called Felicity who had patched him through to Diggle who had then patched him through to Lyla's official ARGUS number that was hidden from the public eye. He had a brief conversation with her about the last seen whereabouts of Eiling only to find out that he had been missing from their database for the past three months. Upon hearing that Eiling was now in their custody, Lyla made sure to let Barry know that if things went further, that ARGUS would take him off their hands. But he reassured Lyla that things were fine for now, and if need be, he wouldn't hesitate to give her a call.

"Unofficially?" Joe asked with a knowing tone.

"I spoke with Diggle's wife, Lyla, and she said Eiling's been missing for the past three months and ARGUS is covering up for it."

"Makes sense," Joe replied.

"Last time I saw the General was when Ronnie and I broke Professor Stein out of that military facility."

"I'm sure they're covering that up too," Cisco threw in.

"So where has he been since then?" Joe asked. Eiling had to have been staying somewhere, and they just needed to know where, or who it was with to unravel the mystery.

"General Eiling, why were you trying to rob the gold reserve?" Caitlin asked, only to have Eiling stare back at her blankly, not even blinking.

"Maybe he's in some kind of trance?" Sophia stated as she waved her hand in front of his face, receiving no movement of his eyes, or even recognition at her actions.

"General, do you remember me?" Barry asked, standing in front of him, giving the man a clear view.

" _Flash_ ," The General spoke, his voice coming out hoarse, his eyes finally meeting Barry's gaze.

"Woah, how does he know you're The Flash?!" Cisco exclaimed.

"I don't know."

"General…" Eiling spoke, his words coming out strained and stretched out. "Eiling not here. Eiling bad."

"He might be going through some kind of psychotic break that's presenting itself as dissociative identity disorder," Sophia mused. She had seen things like this in the past through her work, and it was not as uncommon as one might think.

"Sounds like it," Caitlin agreed.

"Caitlin. Caitlin good," Eiling said this time, surprising them all.

"Oh, uh, thank you?"

"Mm. Forget multiple personalities. You guys have seen The Exorcist, right?" Cisco said.

"You and your movies," Joe huffed.

"Keep talking to him, he seems to respond to you," Barry instructed Caitlin, and she hesitantly moved forward, unsure of what to say.

"Uh, why is Eiling bad?" Caitlin asked tentatively. All of their eyes were focused on Eiling and his reaction. He answered immediately, but his words were still slow and the way he spoke made him sound like it was hard to speak, or that he didn't know what words to use to communicate his thoughts and feelings properly.

"Eiling hurt me. I hurt Eiling."

"Okay, uh, so if you're not Eiling, then who are you?" Caitlin pried further.

"I…Am…Grodd. Fear…Me," Eiling said, and his words sent a shiver of fear down Sophia's spine.

"What is a Grodd?" Joe asked, and his words seemed to have offended Eiling who grunted in response.

"Oh, Grodd is a gorilla."

"Five years ago, Eiling and Wells were working on a project to expand soldier's cognitive abilities during battle. What we didn't realise is that Eiling was trying to create soldiers with psychic abilities."

"What do you mean 'psychic'?" Sophia asked. "As in telepathy?"

"Eiling was trying to create these super-soldiers with telepathic and telekinetic capabilities, probably something similar to that of your own powers," Caitlin explained to Sophia. "But when Dr. Wells found out about the terrible experiments that Eiling was doing, he shut down the entire project."

"So our psycho killer has a soft spot for animals. That's sweet."

"What happened to Grodd?"

"We don't know," Cisco said. "After the Particle Accelerator exploded, I went down to check on him, and his cage was empty."

"So he could have been affected by the same energy that hit both of us," Sophia stated and Caitlin nodded.

"When the dark matter hit Grodd, all the drugs and serums that Eiling injected him with could've activated."

"Maybe the Accelerator explosion created a meta-gorilla."

"And I think we know what happens when a super-intelligent ape who's pissed off at humans escapes captivity."

"Planet of the apes," Sophia muttered under her breath, scrunching up her nose in distaste. She had always hated that movie, and now that they were faced with the threat of a meta-gorilla that was probably ridiculous in size, she was actually terrified at the idea of fighting it, and she had superpowers.

"Cisco's right about the first part," Joe agreed, crossing his arms.

"This is the first brain scan that I did on Grodd," Caitlin announced, pulling up the image on screen.

"Woah. His primary motor cortex and Broca's area are lit up like a Christmas tree," Barry breathed out as he looked at the scan with wonder.

"From Eiling's experiments. And this is the brain scan that I just did on Eiling. His brain is lit up in the exact same way," Caitlin explained.

"So Grodd and Eiling must be connected somehow?" Sophia asked.

"I think that somehow, Grodd is transmitting neural signals to Eiling's primary motor cortex. Mind control, telepathy…who knows what Grodd is capable of now?"

"Well if I wasn't scared of him before, I certainly am now," Sophia blurted out.

"What do we think Grodd wants? Revenge?" Joe asked, trying to make sense of things. "I don't like the fact that Wells rescued Grodd. I don't think it's a coincidence that this gorilla shows up at the very same time we're looking for Wells."

"Grodd and Wells always did have a special bond," Cisco told the team. "It wouldn't surprise me if Wells was using Grodd to distract us."

"If we find Grodd, we find Wells," Joe concluded.

"If we find Wells…" Barry trailed off.

"We find Eddie," Sophia finished.

"And I'm gonna help," Iris announced, causing them all to turn around, seeing her just enter the cortex. Sophia gave her a smile and nodded.

"Know anything about Gorillas?" Cisco asked.

"I just might. There have been reports of some sort of animal down in the sewers. Uh, a few months ago, two sewer workers went missing. The search party reported hearing strange animal like noises down in the tunnels," Iris explained, pulling up the article on screen as she sat at the computer, typing away.

"Where exactly did they go missing?" Barry asked.

"Uh, Fifth Avenue, and Tenth Street," Iris informed. "There's an access point to the sewers about two blocks east of that intersection."

"I guess we'll start there," Sophia said, moving to grab her suit.

"Not alone. I'm coming too," Joe insisted and Barry shook his head.

"Joe, Sophia and I will be fine. I don't want to risk you getting hurt," Barry said and Joe reluctantly backed down.

"I'll keep Barry safe, Joe. Don't worry," Sophia said with a wink as they moved out to collect their equipment and gear before leaving.

* * *

Walking through the sewers was not on Sophia's to do list today, but it had to be done. They had to put the search for Eddie on pause until they captured the giant gorilla that went by the name of Grodd. They left Eiling in the capable hands of Cisco and Caitlin at Star Labs, who were also accompanied by the West duo. The smell was something that Sophia would never get used to and she regretted not bringing a peg for her nose. She was just glad that she had the common sense to actually float instead of walking, not having to get her feet dirty in sewer water, like her boyfriend was currently.

"I envy you," Barry whispered, but his words still echoed down the dark and rusted tunnel they were exploring. She giggled lightly, moving the illuminating energy in her hand further in front of them, using it as a light to guide them through the sewers.

"Guess you can't be good at everything, Allen," Sophia teased and Cisco berated them after a moment, telling them to stop flirting on the line that was apparently restricted for professional superhero work only.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," Barry replied with a tight smile as he stepped in something squishy, making him squirm in his boots. He was definitely sterilising this suit when he got back to Star Labs… or possibly burning it. He was sure that Cisco had a few spares hanging around after the last time it had been incinerated.

"Don't forget to keep dropping the flares," Sophia reminded Barry. Though she was providing the light to guide them, they needed the flares as a reminder of the way back to the surface.

"Stay close," Barry told her.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, love," Sophia teased, flying over to him and planting a kiss on his face, just underneath his cheekbone where the skin wasn't covered by the red leather of his mask. A moment later they heard a loud thud echo in the distance, coming from directly down the end of the tunnel they were occupying.

"What was that?" Sophia asked, her voice breathy as she anticipated what was going to happen. She then heard a cracking sound coming from behind her and her head twisted around, snapping back to see what it was, only to witness the unpleasant sight of a rat running into one of their flares and scattering off down the dark and smelly tunnel.

"Looks like we're in the right place," Barry said, pointing to the wall next to her as they walked. The wall of the sewer was covered in equations, words, patterns and then GRODD in big letters, scratched and etched into the concrete. Grodd was evolving, and this meant that their fight against him would only be tougher.

"He's getting smarter," Barry said.

"If I hadn't re-watched Jurassic Park the other day, I wouldn't be nearly as frightened as I am right now," Sophia mumbled under her breath, thinking no one could hear her ramblings, but Cisco had managed to catch her words and laughed on the comm. before sending over a few words of reassurance. A second later, more growls and rumbling was heard and she started to feel queasy.

"Bar," Sophia whispered and he nodded, indicating for her to go on. "If he's getting smarter, do you-do you think he might be getting bigger too?"

"Maybe-," Barry said, but he was cut off before he could speak any further, a large hulking mass crashing into him and Sophia, catching them off guard.

Grodd-she assumed- barrelled into them for the second time that morning, the gorilla furious and craving a fight. She threw a massive ball of electrified energy at Grodd, the blast hitting the gorilla head on in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards lightly, but otherwise the hit had barely done anything. Barry ran forward, throwing speed punches at Grodd, hitting him in the chest, the head, arms, behind the knees…everywhere. But nothing seemed to take him down, in fact it just made him grow in anger, roaring at the annoyance of being hit, rather than pain.

Sophia flew forward in her second attempt to attack Grodd when his large fury hand grabbed her side, and threw her backwards like a rag doll, sending her crashing on the floor of the sewer behind Grodd. Before Barry could run after her to help her up, Grodd had punched him, leaving Barry heaving on the other side of the tunnel. Grodd then smashed his hands on the pillars on the side, collapsing the tunnel.

"Sapphire!" Barry let out a strangled cry as he watched in horror as the concrete panelling and bricks tumbled down, forming a barrier between the two of them. He heard Sophia let out a piercing scream before the loud thumping noise got further and further away. "No, no, _no_!"

"Sophia," He breathed out, his chest heaving up and down as he stared helplessly ahead, bashing his hand against the concrete. "Cisco, give me an update," Barry urged in a strained voice.

"Her comm. is down, but I can still read her vitals from her suit," Cisco said, his voice shaky. None of them had expected that to happen, and they prayed that she would be alright. "I should be able to get her signal through the tracker in her suit in a while, it's just lost underground."

"She's alright. Her heart rate is a bit high and her blood pressure low, but that's probably because of the shock. Her vitals are stable… for now," Caitlin informed.

"Bar, you can't find her, not on your own. Come back and we'll make a plan," Joe said over the comm. Barry felt the frustration of it all, tears pooling behind his closed eyelids. He nodded, telling them he would be back in a minute as he turned his comm. off, leaning against the wall that separated them, clenching his fist as he pounded it against the rubble and promising that he would be back for her.

Promising that he would find her.

* * *

The first thing she noticed when she regained consciousness was the stickiness of her blood, dripping down from her forehead, woven into her hair on the right side of her face. The second thing she felt was the ache in her bones. It felt like her body had been crushed by a tank, and when her eyes moved up to witness the hulking mass of Grodd in front of her, she knew that it had been even worse.

She didn't say a word, or make a sound, or even move an inch as she stared at the gorilla in front of her. Terrified didn't even begin to describe how she felt in that moment.

She wasn't sure of how she had ended up here, the last thing she remembered was being thrown viciously to the ground by the villain in front of her. She wondered if Barry was okay and hoped that he had made it out alive. Her thoughts were quickly consumed by the ever present fear as Grodd took a step closer to her.

"Grodd need you, father tell Grodd to take you," Grodd spoke, the deep voice sending shivers down her spine.

"Please, please don't," Sophia whispered, her voice coming out hoarse, as the tears pooled up in her eyes. She was scared to death of what that meant for her. "No, please, god- _please_."

"Grodd will use you, to defeat Flash," The gorilla said venomously, before bracing her head with his hands, probing into her mind to control her just like he had with Eiling, leaving Sophia Lang screaming out in agony as her mind was infiltrated. She tried her best to fight it, but as Grodd pushed through her thoughts, rifling through her mind, she wasn't able to hold back any longer, and she was consumed by his commands.

"Sapphire will kill Flash," Grodd spoke with a tone of finality, as he released her, settling her on the ground, her eyes staring blankly ahead as she nodded, her face clear of expression.

"I will kill, Flash," She spoke, with a monotonous voice, curling her hands into fists, her lifeless eyes glowing cobalt, as she followed Grodd down the dark tunnel, ready to fight.

And somewhere, Eobard Thawne was smirking, glad that for once, things seemed to be going according to plan.

* * *

Barry paced the halls of Star Labs as Cisco tried his very best to bring back Sophia's tracker. It had gone offline as soon as she had crashed onto the other side of the tunnel, and he wasn't sure if it was because it was damaged, or that the signal was lost.

He had been at it for a good hour at this point, and Barry's constant pacing was starting to get on their nerves. Iris tried to calm him down, and she had managed to get him to at least stop walking back and forth across the room, but he was still jittery.

"First Eddie gets taken by the Reverse-Flash, and now, Sophia…" Barry muttered to himself. He had been announced as the protector of this city, alongside Sophia, and he couldn't even protect the people closest to him.

"Cisco, how is it coming along?" Joe asked nervously. He was worried about Sophia as well. She was practically another daughter to him, and he didn't want to see her get hurt. He felt guilty that he hadn't gone along with him, but after pointing this out, Barry just shook his head, telling him that it would have been worse if both of them had been captured by Grodd. At least Sophia had a fighting chance with her powers.

"It's nearly online, give me a few minutes," Cisco lied through his teeth. He had no idea if it would work or not. He had actually called Felicity only a few minutes prior to ask her to forward him a new update that would boost Sophia's signal, if not just allow them to track it via the Star Labs satellite. He had quickly input the algorithm and was now waiting for it to upload to the server so that he could activate it.

"I can't wait for that… I will search every inch of that sewer if I have to," Barry practically growled. He was beyond reconciliation at this point. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

"And what happens if you find them?" Caitlin asked. "What happens if Grodd takes over your mind the same way he did with Eiling?"

"I don't… I don't know," Barry sighed in defeat. If he was being honest, he hadn't put anything into it, his thoughts purely consumed with bringing Sophia back alive. "Can you guys build me something? Some kind of tech so that he can't get into my head?" When he was down in the tunnel, not only was he physically hit by Grodd, but mentally as well. It felt like his head was on fire as the Gorilla relentlessly attacked him with telepathy.

"I don't know," Cisco sighed. "Maybe if Dr. Wells was here."

"I don't understand. Every day you guys figure out a way to help people. All of The Flash's powers, all of Sapphires, and this equipment, and you can't save Eddie and Sophia?" Iris asked, shaking her head as she looked at Cisco.

"Iris is right. I've seen you guys do amazing things. It wasn't just Wells who was a part of this team before, you, all three of you can do this. You don't need Wells," Joe said in agreement, giving them a supportive smile. He was sure that once they put their heads together, they would be able to come up with something.

"We'll figure something out."

"Guys! The trackers back online! She's on 27th and Maine," Cisco yelled in excitement. Barry didn't waste a second in throwing his mask on, rushing to the scene. He manoeuvred through the traffic on the busy roads of Central City, gliding effortlessly past cars and traffic lights, until he reached the location Cisco gave him. When he saw her standing across the empty warehouse district, the light tinge of blood on the side of her face, but her body intact, relieved didn't even begin to describe how he felt.

But then he noticed it.

How she stood there, frozen and staring at him blankly, similar to that of General Eiling. How her eyes seemed lifeless and empty. How they suddenly turned blue and she started to attack him. He had trained with her before, fought with her before, but it was nothing like this. She was ruthless and it was in this moment that he truly realised how powerful she was, how much she had restrained herself, and how she was now suddenly free of those worries, using everything she had.

"Woah, Sophia, what are you doing?!" Barry exclaimed as he moved to the side, using his speed to dodge her hit that was coming at him fast. She didn't respond, but kept moving forward, throwing kicks and punches, managing to hit him quite a few times as he tried to deflect her attacks.

"Must…kill…Flash," She said in between heavy breaths. She twirled around, creating a wave of energy in the palm of her hands, sending it flying off her fingertips, as a blast, hitting Barry square in the chest. Her eyes stopped glowing for a moment, returning to their normal brown hue before the iris turned a dark blue, almost matching the colour of her suit, lighting up and burning brighter and brighter, her mouth opening as she let out a strained scream like she was in physical pain as she attacked him. Before he knew it, beams of energy were shooting out of her eyes, following his every move as he darted around as fast as he could to evade the lasers. The blue energy left a train of fire blazing around the ground, exploding a small shipping container behind Barry as he dodged the hit, leaving a trail of black smoke and fire festering and spreading behind him.

"She has heat vision, _holy shit_ ," Cisco spoke through the comm. as the team watched the scene from the cameras on the site. "When the hell did she level up?"

"Guys, Grodd's done something to her," Barry informed the team on the comm. He stared up at her with wide eyes unsure of what to do next. There wasn't a bone in his body that wanted to harm her in any way, even if it was to protect himself. But he wasn't sure how he could stop her from killing him without going onto defence.

"He must have done what he did to Eiling," Joe concluded. "This is not good."

"Barry, the only way to bring her back is to snap her out of it," Caitlin told him.

"How do I do that?" He asked, ducking quickly as her fist went flying towards his face. He spun around quickly, grabbing both of her wrists in his hands, trying to keep her from hitting him, but it was a bit of struggle and he could feel his muscles straining as he tried to overpower her. He knew that she was strong, but with no inhibitions at all, she was like a powerhouse let loose. He had noticed that over the last few weeks she had gotten stronger and faster than ever before, but right now her agility and strength was on par with his, and he was struggling to keep her at bay. If he didn't snap her out of it soon, it wouldn't be long til The Flash was dead.

"You need to talk to her, convince her that it isn't real, that she doesn't want to hurt you," Caitlin said.

"Sophia, it's me, it's Barry," He told her. "You don't want to hurt me."

"Grodd, told me to kill, Flash. _I will kill Flash_ ," Her words came out broken and the fire in her eyes seemed to grow as moved to head butt him, leaving him stumbling backwards as his head reeled in pain. He had not expected that. He could feel the warm red blood drip from his nose in response to her attacks. He wiped away the liquid with the back of his hand, trying not to focus on the pain, but it had distracted him for just long enough that, she performed her signature round house kick, her powerful kick hitting him in the abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground. He could already feel the green and purple bruises forming on his lower abdomen.

He stared up at her, unsure of what else he could do. He pulled his mask off, his green eyes now focused on her face, giving her a clear view of his own.

"Sophia, _please_ , listen. It's me, Barry…you don't want to hurt me, it's Grodd, and he's gotten into your head. You're a kind, gentle person. You love to take care of people, to help them, not to hurt them. Come on, Soph, please, fight it, break free. You're one of the strongest people I know, you can do this," Barry spoke, the words of honesty flying off his lips.

She halted in her steps, her hand burning with a ball of electrified energy that she would have used to end his life. But she had frozen after those words tumbled off his lips. Inside, a war was raging between herself and the control Grodd was trying to hold over her. She replayed the words over and over, aching and battling to break free. Her body jerked as she tried to move forward to attack once again, but something was holding her back. She cried out in agony as the war waged in her mind, with Grodd pounding on her to hurt him. The electrical energy that was building up inside of her was too much to handle, she aimed it towards Barry unable to control her actions, but at the last second, lightly moved her hands, the blast colliding with an empty shipping container to the side of Barry's current position, giving him enough time to move out of the way. Her breathing was heavy and she clenched her jaw as she tried to contain the power within her, struggling to break free.

"You can do this, I believe in you," Barry said, his gaze never wavering. His words triggered something inside of her, pushing her to the forefront of her mind allowing her to take control. She stumbled lightly, and let out a breath, as though she had been drowning under the weight of the ocean, and had just come up for a desperate gasp of air.

"Barry, _oh god_ , Barry, I'm so sorry," She choked out, her breathing erratic as she collapsed to the ground, standing on her knees. A wave of nausea hit her and she felt like she was going to be sick. She clutched her chest with one hand, using the other to support her weight as she stayed close to the ground. She had just attacked _him_ with the intention of killing him. _Oh god, oh no._

"Its okay, Soph, you're safe now," Barry said kneeling down and pulling her into his arms as she sobbed against his leather clad chest.

"What happened?" Caitlin asked over the line, gnawing on her bottom lip in a moment of anxiousness. It went a bit fuzzy in the last minute, and they weren't sure what was going on. Sophia had actually destroyed the security cameras in her efforts to attack Barry when she sent out a wave of energy, and they had been relying on the comm. to keep updated, but that too was playing up. Cisco, Joe and Iris were all peering over the computer carefully as Caitlin asked her question, waiting to hear what was going on.

"I've got her, she's fine. I'm bringing her home," Barry said with a smile as he lifted a worn out Sophia up into his arms and took her back to Star Labs.

* * *

Eddie sat silently, unsure of what to do next. He had been trapped here for two days now, and he was on the verge of giving up hope. There was no way anyone was going to find him down in this hell hole. He didn't even know where he was.

As he looked around for the hundredth time for some sign, some sort of symbol of recognition he sighed in defeat, the walls surrounding him barren of anything that would be of use. With a burst of anger, a growl erupted from his throat as he tugged violently against his restraints. He was sure that by the end of it he would have bloody and scarred wrists. But as he thought about it, his mood shifting into a more calm state, he realised that he didn't care about that. He didn't care that he hadn't eaten a proper meal in two days, he didn't care that the only sip of water he had made him even thirstier, he didn't care that he was locked up here, held prisoner by the Man in Yellow. He didn't care because he knew that Iris was safe. The Reverse-Flash had every opportunity that night to take Iris instead, to kill her even, but he didn't, and because of that Eddie didn't care that he was locked under-ground in this unknown location. He knew that Iris was safe… for now, and that's all he could ask for.

"You're from the future, aren't you?" Eddie asked aloud, as he felt a rush of wind enter the confined room. He knew that it was the Man in Yellow, aka Eobard Thawne, aka Imposter Harrison Wells.

"Hmm."

"With a name like Eobard, I guess you'd have to be," Eddie continued, wondering if he would get a direct answer, and not just a hum in response. It was silent for a moment before Eobard came to stand in front of Eddie, and he took a moment to watch the man's expression. He was wearing an all-black ensemble and it was unusual seeing this face without glasses, and walking around.

"No, Eobard is a distinguished name for a distinguished member of a distinguished family," Eobard finally spoke.

"Depressing to think all of my descendants are as crazy as you," Eddie said, tilting his head to the side. If he wasn't able to hit the man in front of him with his fists, then he was going to use his words.

"Oh, no, no, no," Eobard laughed. "No, the Thawne bloodline is chock-full of influential politicians, scientists, captains of industry. Failures such as yourself are just the exception," Eobard taunted, crossing his arms as he peered down at Eddie's tied up form.

"And what exactly makes me such a failure?"

"Tough question, Eddie. Where to start?" Eobard asked, tapping his finger against his chin as though he was contemplating the situation. "Oh, how about your career as a police detective? It's spectacularly uneventful," Eobard drawled.

"Yeah. Well, we'll see." Eddie's shoulders sagged slightly and he berated himself for listening to Eobard's words. He knew that he couldn't trust the man in front of him.

"No, we have seen. I have seen. I am from the future. And you are the only Thawne to be all but forgotten by history. Waste of a life, waste of a man," Eobard spat his harsh words at Eddie, even though he knew that his words were far from true. But he had to make Eddie believe them in order to achieve his goal, and keep him out of the way and safe, where he couldn't hurt him or affect the future generation of Thawne's.

Eddie shook his head refusing to believe Eobard's words, refusing to give into his taunts.

"You know what, I may not have become some grand entrepreneur or scientist like you claim the rest of the family was, but you know what I am? I'm not pathetic, I'm not a monster, not like you," Eddie said. His words must have hit Eobard somewhere because the man just glared at him before speeding out of the room, leaving Eddie alone once again.

Eddie leaned back against the chair, closing his eyes as he pictured Iris. He remembered her breathtaking smile, the way her nose scrunched up when she let out a bout of irresistible laughter, every detail of her beautiful face, hanging onto the thought of her like a last prayer. Like it was the last beacon of light left in the entire expanse of the universe, grasping onto it as tight as he could, as he tried to keep hope.

* * *

"An anti-telepathy strip," Caitlin explained, pulling out the weird looking head-gear that Cisco and she had created for both Sophia and Barry to use against Grodd. "It uses magnetic resonance to neutralise any foreign neurological stimulus."

"So it'll protect them from being mind-controlled?" Iris asked as she looked over at Sophia who was sitting on the chair in lab, curled up with a blanket draped over her shoulders.

"That's the hope, but we have no way of knowing if it actually works," Cisco explained.

"It'll work."

"Come on, I know where he is," Sophia told Barry, tugging at his hand. She still felt void, void of energy, void of emotion. She wasn't sure what to do, what to say. She had hurt Barry and the guilt was still there. She had dark thoughts, every intention of killing him, the words throbbing in her mind over and over again. Even though he had snapped her out of it, the echo of what had just transpired still stayed with her and she was desperate to get rid of Grodd once and for all, hoping that it would leave with him.

"Are you sure? You still feel feverish," Barry asked, holding the back of his hand against Sophia's forehead. He was right. Her face felt unusually warm, and he really didn't want her to go back out in the field after what had just happened. If the anti-telepathy strips didn't work, he didn't want her to have to endure the same pain again.

"I'll be fine. We need to go, before he realises and moves location. He's smarter than we ever thought," Sophia said, her thoughts flashing back to what she had seen in the tunnels. Equations, written words, sentences, all of it was far too advanced for what was meant to be a primal animal of the jungle.

"Okay." Deep down Barry wanted her to stay here, to rest, but he knew that she wouldn't agree to it in the first place, so he didn't say a word. He just pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss on her temple, holding his lips there for a moment before taking a step back and pulling his red hood onto his face, watching as Sophia did the same with her mask, securing her hair back into a pony tail rather than her usual style.

"Be careful," Iris told them both, giving them a small smile of encouragement as she watched them leave the lab, ready to take on what seemed like one of their most terrifying villains yet. And for the first time since she had discovered their dark secret, did she truly understand why they had kept it a secret from her for so long.

* * *

Sophia flew down to the familiar tunnels again with Barry in tow, trying to squash the fear that was in her chest as she entered the war zone again. She had the anti-telepathy strip attached to her mask, as did Barry, they had nothing to worry about. At least that's what she told herself.

But even with that, there was no guarantee that things would run smoothly.

"What's your ETA?"

"Less than a minute," Sophia replied as she slowed her speed right down, landing carefully on the rocky ground that was littered with debris from the previous battle.

A moment later both herself and Barry had landed at the mouth of the tunnel that lead to Grodd's location. Cisco, Caitlin, Iris and Joe watched carefully from the cortex, monitoring their location on screen through their trackers.

"So the red, that's Barry?" Iris asked, inclining her head towards the screen.

"Yes."

"And the blue is Sophia," Caitlin explained as the dot came to a stop. Iris was intrigued by the way they moved so fast. Though she knew of their existence before this, she was still enamoured by the way they moved. It was insane how impossible it was, but in reality it was happening. Once this was all over, she was sure that she would spend a great deal of time nit-picking their heads about it all.

"The green?" Joe inquired.

"Grodd," Cisco said before motioning for everyone to quiet down as they focused on the comm.

"Okay. Here goes nothing," Barry said, looking over at Sophia who nodded, braving a smile.

Cisco controlled the pipes in the tunnels, letting out a ridiculous bout of highly concentrated steam in the area that Grodd was currently residing in. The grey steam was hot to the touch and mainly comprised of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, making it hard for Grodd to breathe, and it would soon start to suffocate him. It kick-started Grodd's rampage as he stomped aggressively through the tunnels, running away from the steam and towards Sophia and Barry who were waiting for him.

"The steams working, Grodd is on the move," Cisco informed as the computer beeped, indicating Grodd's movements, and the green dot on the screen moving at a fast pace towards the red and blue dots.

"I don't understand, what's the plan?" Iris asked, her voice lightly coming through the comm.

"He's manoeuvring Grodd into a tunnel 3.5 miles from Barry," Caitlin explained. Sophia was still trying to figure out what she would do if Barry's supersonic punch didn't work.

"So Barry can do what?" Iris asked.

"Same thing he did to Girder. Supersonic punch, baby," Cisco let out with a chuckle.

Barry ran back a few miles, stopping when he reached the perfect position.

" _Now_!"

Barry ran past Sophia, the sheer force of the wind sending her stumbling back lightly as his body bolted forward, his fist connecting with Grodd's jaw, delivering the deadly blow, but it seemed to have little to no effect on the Gorilla.

"Shit," Barry cursed, clutching his wrist in pain. "The supersonic punch failed."

"Move, Barry," Sophia warned as her eyes glowed. "Take cover."

Grodd's roars grew louder, but Sophia focused on her energy and what he had done to her that morning. Anger replaced her fear and she flew at Grodd, like a bullet in the dark, her body weaving past Barry as she hit Grodd face on. The energy in her hands illuminated the entire tunnel, as though she was radioactive. She screamed, aiming the blast at Grodd, sending the mass of gorilla flying backwards with a yelp as her energy exploded in all directions, the detonation of electrical energy going off in all directions. Wisps of cobalt energy lingered in the air, slowly descending to the grimy concrete floor, her body falling in place with it.

"What the hell was that?" Cisco asked through the comm.

"I have no idea," Barry breathed out as he ran towards Sophia who collapsed to the ground.

"She's alright, she just fainted," Caitlin was quick to inform Barry. "She's expelled too much energy. She's never done that before."

Barry picked her up in his arms, running her back in the tunnel to a safe distance, laying her down on the ground carefully as he turned and focused his eyes back on Grodd who was struggling to get up.

"What do I do now?" Barry asked in panic.

"Try some speed punches?" Cisco suggested. Sophia's explosion of energy had done a lot of damage, all he needed to do was finish the job.

"At least the headset's working," Barry said as he ducked a hit from Grodd. The gorilla sent waves of telepathic energy at him, trying to get into his head, but the device protected him well enough against Grodd's advances.

"Spoke to soon," Barry muttered as Grodd's fist hit him square in the abdomen, sending him through the wall of a tunnel and into what looked like a parallel underground train railway, his head banging against the concrete, the anti-telepathic strip smashing to pieces.

 _Human. Weak. Pathetic._ The words attacked his mind, like a knife slicing through his thoughts. Barry yelled out in pain as Grodd used his telepathy to scar his mind, and keep him down.

" _Ah_!"

"Barry's brain activity is off the charts. It's way worse than last time," Caitlin announced, her fingers clicking against the computer keys.

"What's happening to him?" Joe asked in worry.

"Grodd's attacking him psychically."

"He's paralysed," Caitlin cried out. Sophia was unconscious on the other side, and Barry was frozen in his own body, unable to move. There was nothing they could do from their end and she felt helpless.

"Come on! There's a service train coming," Cisco cried out. As if they didn't have anything else to deal with.

"Do something please!" Iris pleaded.

"I can't stop the train," Cisco said. "Barry you have to get out of there now."

"What do we do?!" Iris yelped.

"Can we wake up Sophia?" Caitlin asked, trying to keep her calm, but finding that with every second that passed, her patience was decreasing.

"I can control her suit from here. If I send a small shockwave through her suit it should be enough to rouse her. She can get him out of there, her anti-telepathy strip is still intact," Cisco quickly explained.

"Well, don't just sit there, do it!" Caitlin yelled and Cisco got to work, sending the shockwave through her suit.

Sophia gasped, her eyes shooting wide open, her chest heaving. She looked around frantically confused as to what was going on. Her vision was blurry and she had to blink a few times to get a clear picture.

"What's happening?" Sophia groaned out, rubbing the side of her head.

"There's a train about to hit Barry," Cisco said and Sophia shot up from her position on the ground, no matter how painful it was.

" _Where_?" Her voice came out desperately as her eyes darted around the dark tunnel, trying to spot where to move next.

"I'll direct you."

She walked down the hall as fast as her body would allow her, her right leg limping lightly, following Cisco's instructions, finding Barry in an instant, Grodd having left the scene. Her body was tired and she ached and she didn't know what she was going to do as she heard the train coming closer. She pushed herself as she saw Barry paralysed on the floor. She had no energy left, she couldn't even fly.

"Barry you need to move," She urged, struggling as she made her way over to him, placing her hands on either side of his face. "I know you can do this, you need to snap out of it, listen to me, focus on my voice," Sophia spoke, leaning her forehead against his, his eyes still clenched in pain as Grodd roamed his thoughts ruefully. "You can do this Allen, come on, get us out of here, otherwise we're toast. I-I can't save us this time, you need to move," She told him, her head turning to look at the train that was now meters away from them, barrelling towards them at a deadly speed, the headlights glaring against her vision.

" _Please_ ," She breathed out as she closed her eyes. If she was going to die today, she would die by his side. "You can do this."

She heard Barry groan in response, his eyes flashing open, the lightning reigniting in his green orbs. With no time to spare, his arms were around Sophia as he ran them across into the other side of the tunnel, missing the train by inches. They both collapsed against the ground, watching with wide eyes as the train flew by through the whole in the concrete.

"You did it," Sophia said with a breathy laugh, leaning her head against the wall as she tried to catch her breath.

"I just needed a little push," Barry replied with a weak smile, looking over at her, noticing how pale she looked. He quickly whisked her up into his arms, running her back to Caitlin for medical treatment.

* * *

"Your brain scan is normal, which means Grodd is no longer controlling you. This prison is for Meta-humans, so you're free to go," Caitlin explained, entering the code into the panel to release Eiling from the prison cell he had been residing in for the past few days. With time and distance, Grodd's control on Eiling had slowly dissipated til all that was left was the man.

"You'll get what's coming to you eventually," Barry said.

"I am not ashamed of my actions, Mr. Allen," Eiling said, his eyes darting over to the group standing before him. "You've seen what these Meta-humans are capable of. Soon, your prison won't be enough."

"Not all meta-humans are dangerous," Sophia spoke up, holding onto the metal pole beside her. She had an IV drip connected to her, to re-hydrate her and bring her energy levels back up. The colour was returning to her cheeks and she looked much better than before, but she wasn't about to let everyone else leave her sitting in the med-bay whilst they went to release Eiling. Plus she figured walking around would do her some good.

" _Oh_ , you're afraid that I know you're boyfriends The Flash, and you, Miss Sapphire, the daring Knight of Central City. Don't get your tights in a twist, I've known for months. If I wanted to come after either of you, I would've done it by now," Eiling spoke and Sophia just narrowed her eyes at him. Barry clenched his jaw, sending a death stare in Eiling's direction, he really hated the guy.

"But you think you're gonna need me, need us," Barry clarified. That was the only reason that Eiling hadn't pounced first thing. He had tried to get him back when Ronnie was in town, and if he knew their identities, why hadn't he moved? It certainly wouldn't be that hard.

"Harrison Wells turned me over to that beast. He used me like a damn puppet. So like it or not, we have a common enemy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a gorilla to hunt," Eiling said, leaving the premises.

"I really hate that guy," Sophia said as she glared at Eiling's' back, watching him leave the room.

"Come on, you need to get back to the med-bay to rest," Caitlin said, urging Sophia to move forward.

"I don't want to be stuck in there again," Sophia groaned. "It's terribly depressing when you all leave." She had spent her fair share of nights in the Star Labs med bay, and at times by herself, and it was not a pleasant experience.

"Sophia, you really need the rest. You expelled so much energy that you couldn't even use your powers. That was an impressive feat but it nearly sent you into a coma," Caitlin berated and Sophia sighed, looking over to the others for some help.

"Come on, I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate," Barry bribed, poking her cheek with his finger as a grin appeared on her face.

"With the tiny marshmallows?" She inquired and he nodded, leaning down and pecking her lips with a light kiss. When he moved away she continued to gaze up at him with a smile on her face that couldn't be wiped off. Even though she was ridiculously tired, she felt like none of that mattered when he was by her side.

"Of course, what else?" Barry laughed, placing an arm around her, escorting her back to the room, the others following in tow.

Iris nudged her father's shoulder as they walked behind the couple, mentioning how cute they looked.

"They are too adorable," Iris commented with a grin. She was so glad that Barry had found Sophia.

"A match made in heaven," Joe hummed.

"Or a particle accelerator," Cisco jumped in with a laugh.

"That too," Caitlin said.

Iris's face visibly dropped a moment later as though something had hit her. Well, something had. The fact that Eddie was still missing hit her. Seeing the couple in front of her, reminded her of her relationship with Eddie. She missed him with every breath, with every beat of her heart, and she wanted nothing more than him to come back into her arms. She still wasn't sure what they were going to do about it. They had searched high and low for him, and she could only think that their next move would be to announce it to the CCPD, perhaps broadening the search publicly would work in their favour.

Joe noticed that Iris had suddenly drawn herself in, becoming quiet in a matter of minutes.

"What's wrong, baby?" Joe asked, placing his hand on Iris's shoulder.

"Eddie," Iris said softly and Joe's expression softened considerably.

"I'm sorry baby. We'll find him, I promise you," Joe said, bringing her into a side hug as they walked into the cortex, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Now that they were all in the cortex, they sat around in a circle, discussing the events of the day, but most of all, enjoying the company. Barry was just glad that they had all come out of it pretty unscathed. It was their first rodeo without Wells guiding them, and Barry was proud that with all the hurdles thrown at them, they had managed to fill the leadership role and work together to solve their problems.

"Maybe it's a good thing we didn't catch Grodd," Barry mused, receiving surprised looks from everyone, particularly Sophia who was watching him carefully, waiting to hear his reasoning. "Where would we put him? I mean the pipeline isn't exactly equipped to hold a super-intelligent, telepathic gorilla."

"That is a good point," Sophia replied with a smile. "I don't imagine it would be easy to get him there in the first place, it's far too small."

"Hey, didn't you mention that Grodd called Wells 'Father'?" Cisco asked Sophia. When they had debriefed, she had spoken of a few fragments that she remembered when Grodd took control of her mind.

"Yeah, he kept mumbling about it," Sophia confirmed.

"Wells must have ordered Grodd to come after us," Joe concluded and Cisco nodded in agreement. Iris and Caitlin just looked at each other in worry, not liking this fact.

"It was just a distraction," Sophia mumbled from her seat, a bit of hot chocolate on her lips. Barry inclined his head in the direction of her mouth and her eyes went wide for a moment before her tongue darted out to lick the froth away. She was glad that she was surrounded by her friends at this time. She knew that if she was on her own she would have thought about it some more, and would have built up a mountain of guilt in regards to what had happened that morning. Though it seemed Cisco didn't need to be isolated to build the guilt up.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Barry asked, seeing Cisco's expression darken in a matter of moments.

"Just thinking about this headset. It wasn't strong enough. You could've been killed out there, man," Cisco said, looking down at the crushed device in his hands.

"No, dude, your tech worked, and it proved that we don't need Wells," Barry said and Caitlin broke out into a smile. "We took on Grodd, all of us," Barry continued, looking around the room. These were his team-mates, his friends and his family. They would fight Wells together, as one.

"We did it together. Every single one of us. And we're gonna do the same to find Eddie," Sophia spoke up, everyone turning their heads to look at her. She put her cup down, moving to stand up, Iris helping her seeing as though she was the closest. Sophia gave her a nod in thanks, gripping the side of the couch as the next words flew out of her mouth, sparking a fire in her eyes, and fear in the hearts of those who would stand in her way.

"And then we're going to kill the Reverse-Flash."

* * *

 **A / N – Sorry that this chapter is out a few days late. I've been doing shift work at the hospital in-between university, and I've been dying with the workload. I would have uploaded it earlier but I wanted to edit etc. This chapter turned out way longer than I expected it to, so enjoy.**

 **Last chapter there were only a few reviews, and I hope that means that people are just busy, and are still enjoying the story.**

 **Big thank you to the new followers and especially to all of you that take your time to review. It means the world. Excited that this is nearly coming to an end. Still finalising the details of the last chapter. I think I have about half of that to finish writing before its all said and done. I am excited about that because it means that I can finally get my studying going, because my finals are in a month and I am gonna fail at this rate. Also, if you haven't already, go check out the AU accompaniment for this story titled New Romantics, and leave a review, and even a prompt!**

 **Replies:**

 **Natalie: I haven't seen episode 19 yet because I've been working so much, but I am so looking forward to seeing it. Season 2 of The Flash has just been breathtaking and I can't wait to get stuck into it when I can find some time to write. I'll be writing some more justice league AUs for New Romantics, so keep an eye out! Hope you enjoyed seeing Sophia lose control over her powers this time round! It was certainly fun to write this, and torture her as she was under the control of Grodd.**

 **Tardis Tom Hallows: Awww stop it you! You flatter me way too much, my ego is gonna grow super big soon. But thank you so much for the lovely compliment! Also, nice Username, I love it!**

 **Witchbaby300: Always a pleasure to read your reviews! I know I hate writing reviews on my phone, it's always a pain in the butt. YES. Well guess what, there are more reveals to come, and I think you are all gonna drop your jaws. I only added it in last minute in the last chapter of this story and I hope I don't make some of you cry. :') Yes, I wanted to keep them in the same universe so I can incorporate them as well into the story, it makes it that much more fun! Plus, who doesn't love the Justice League? And in Earth 2 in S2 of the Flash we see light name drops like Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne on Barry's speed dial in his house,** _ **so**_ **I decided to keep it in the same universe for fun and endless possibilities. HAHAHA I feel like after this review my ego just blew up into space. You make me laugh. So sorry that this update came late! Promise I'll try my best to keep the others on time, but because I'm working at the hospital for the next few weeks, I am actually dying with the workload, and I'll try my very best! Thank you for the lovely review and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much, looking forward to hearing from you soon!**

 **Turtlekier42: There will definitely be more Anna in S2. I want to move her back to Central City. It's a bit tough when she's all the way in Metropolis, but I guess Superman doesn't want to let her go just yet. Thanks for the review.**

 **RHatch89: Thank you for the review. It always brings a smile to my face, thank you again so much for the support! Hope you enjoyed this one as well.**

 **Shadowhunters12: I love that the reveal took you off guard. There will also be another reveal in the last chapter, and I am so excited to see how everyone takes that. I cried when I wrote it, and I am not ashamed. I just got so sad when I thought about it that I actually wanted to remove it and not put them through the pain, but… I did anyways. :p Of course. We mainly read from Sophia's POV in this story, but I wanted to show the audience just how much Barry cares for her and loves her. They mean the world to each other and he doesn't want to let her go. Maybe I'll make a little one-shot of her going shopping with Eddie for the ring. I just didn't have time to squeeze it in, but I liked to think that Eddie was super nervous and he asked Sophia for advice on the ring, because he needed the perfect one for Iris. Yeah, it's Sophia Lang Allen. But her name isn't actually hyphenated, it's just written in the Obituary like that so that it's easier for people to identify exactly who had died, because she's married at this point. Oh, Sophia is beyond angry, and she wants nothing more than to just Kill Eobard Thawne, but we all know that in the show things work out a bit differently… but we'll get to that in a few chapters. I think there's only two more left, shit I better get writing, I haven't finished the last one! HAHA. :3 Yes, Anna might possibly be involved with them…maybe…maybe not… haven't decided… ahah. Hope you liked this chapter, I know you've been holding out for this.**

 **Til next time lovelies.**

 **Heroherondale.**


	27. Going Rogue

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

There was no other feeling like it, this Sophia was sure of. If flying was all she could do for the rest of her life, she would be content.

Gliding through the air, feeling the rush of adrenaline through her veins as the refreshing wind beat against her hair, caressing her body as she twisted and turned through the sky just before the dawn of a new day, watching the sun rise in the sky, glowing brighter and brighter as time went on. It was simply beautiful. Though it appeared as a leisurely flight, she was honing her skills, training herself to be faster, to be stronger, more agile than ever.

She wasn't going to let anyone take anything from her anymore.

She felt violated from Grodd's attack on her mind, she felt violated by Well's overall betrayal and she wanted to end the pain, end the pity. She wanted to be better.

She wanted to find Eddie.

He was still missing and she felt if they didn't find him soon, then they would never find him. She co-ordinated routes and searches with both Joe and Barry whilst Caitlin and Cisco pre-occupied Iris with tours and information about their activities at Star Labs, and their collaboration with The Flash and Sapphire.

They told Iris how it had happened, how Barry had gotten his speed from the lightning that hit him due to the particle accelerator explosion, and how this same explosion had given other people powers that they called Meta-Humans. They told the tale of how Sophia was a bit different, how her powers were dormant, and when she was attacked and nearly killed by Blackout, that they rose to the surface a few weeks later, giving her abilities that one could only dream of. This seemed to be a good distraction for Iris, and it kept her mind off Eddie for a while, leaving the others with enough space to continue their search. Iris was beyond proud of her friends, unable to fathom how they had the strength to continue each day, fighting for those who couldn't protect themselves. She admired their ability to do so, and it lessened her feelings of betrayal towards them for keeping it a secret all this time. It was starting to settle in, and knew that it wouldn't be long til she accepted it and moved on.

After flying around the city for a while, ducking high and low, she glided to the right, turning around in a circle as she moved to head back to Star Labs, ready to get to work.

* * *

"I kept asking myself, why would Wells pretend to need a wheelchair?" Cisco posed the question to the team as they all stood around him. Sophia was lounging in her chair as usual, legs up and on the table. Caitlin was sitting in her seat, typing away at her computer as she listened to Cisco talk whilst she ran another search for Eddie through their photo recognition system. Iris was leaning against the table in the middle of the room, and the three males known as Joe, Cisco and Barry were pacing around the middle of the room, with Dr. Wells wheelchair in front of them.

"Sympathy, I suppose," Joe suggested and Cisco nodded, holding up a hand.

"That's what I thought at first, _but_ he's the man in yellow. He's the Reverse-Flash. He's much smarter than that," Cisco continued and the others caught onto his meaning.

"Sympathy can't be the only reason," Caitlin concluded.

"Yeah, it was a misdirect," Cisco clarified. "Just like everything else Wells has done."

"I mean, the last person we'd suspect to be the man in yellow is someone who lost the use of his legs," Joe pointed out. Wells had been on their list of suspects as the Man in Yellow initially, but after narrowing it down, he had been crossed out, after all, they had believed that he was paralysed.

"That's exactly right, Joe." Cisco nodded, moving around to the wheelchair they were speaking of that was situated in the middle of the room. "Which is why I started messing around with the wheelchair, and that's when I found this," Cisco announced, pulling out some sort of glowing device from underneath the chair, a piece of technology that did not exist in this time.

"Looks like the tech inside Gideon," Barry said as he examined it. Barry noted the futuristic design, and the fact that it looked like it contained metals and technology that probably hadn't even been discovered yet alone created.

"I measured the output and this thing is kicking off serious juice."

"How much?" Sophia asked, frowning. _Why did he need all this energy?_ Sophia knew that Wells had an agenda, but it was still hard to figure out exactly what it was he was after.

"I mean, we're talking enough to power all of Central City," Cisco said.

"Seriously?!" Barry asked in surprise. He was more excited at the fact that this sort of technology existed, trying not to think about what exactly Wells could do with this sort of power.

"Oh, yeah," Cisco drawled, staring at the device with a grin of excitement, as though he could read Barry's mind.

"What do you think Wells was using it for?" Sophia asked.

"I think this thing is some kind of battery," Cisco said.

"Battery?" Joe blinked.

"As in, Wells was using it to power himself," Cisco said, Barry cutting him off.

"To gain more speed," Barry finished, putting the pieces together.

"And that's why he's so much faster than you."

They stood in silence, taking in that last sentence when the computer started beeping, and alarm bells chimed throughout the complex. Sophia turned to Barry and Cisco in both fright and worry.

"What's that noise?" Sophia asked.

"The accelerator, it's been reactivated!" Cisco exclaimed, throwing Sophia a panicked look.

"It can't be. How is that possible?" Joe frowned, his hand moving towards his holster, his fingers lightly grazing his gun in case he would need it.

"It blew up."

"It had to have been rebuilt."

"Wells," Barry uttered the name with a dark tone.

"Even if he did rebuild it, how did Dr. Wells turn the Particle Accelerator on?" Caitlin pointed out.

"He's here. That's why we couldn't find him, he's been inside Star Labs the whole time," Sophia spoke in a soft voice, the realisation settling in. She felt a shiver of fear, but it was soon replaced with anger.

"Stay here," Barry said, giving the team a sharp look.

Before Sophia had a chance to argue with Barry, he had run out of the room, leaving them behind. She rushed to the computer, monitoring Barry as he ran around the city after Wells. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched it in anticipation.

"I'm going to go check out the particle accelerator, see what he's activated," Cisco announced, quickly jumping into action. He opened the top drawer of the desk, grabbing out the device he had been using the other day to detect tachyons.

"Take Joe with you," Sophia instructed, suddenly glad that Joe always carried his gun at all times. She didn't want Cisco to go down there by himself, but she couldn't leave Iris and Caitlin up here alone in case something happened. "We'll monitor Barry, and if I need to, I'll head out into the field."

"Be careful," Iris whispered to her dad as he walked out with Cisco. She had already lost her fiancé in all this mess, and she wasn't about to let her dad get hurt or go missing either.

"You too."

* * *

"Cisco, what did you bring in that orange soda for?" Joe asked, as they walked down the dimly lit hallway towards the particle accelerator.

"Whenever something happens with the Reverse-Flash, liquid floats in the air. You know, Barry's fish tank, Well's champagne, Lance's coffee, remember that?" Cisco explained and Joe nodded. "If this does the same thing, we'll know that Wells is in there."

"Do it," Joe told Cisco.

They moved down into the particle accelerator, Cisco's shoes pounding on the floor as he jumped off the end of the ladder, Joe following shortly. They moved closer a little bit, and Cisco took a deep breath before taking the lid off the bottle. They waited and watched in anticipation, and slowly, the orange liquid floated out of the mouth of the bottle, in small bubbles, levitating in the air.

"Oh, God. _Guys_ …" Cisco spoke, his words also coming through the comm.

"It was him," Sophia breathed out, just loud enough that Cisco and Joe could hear her words through the speakers. "Barry's still running around the city chasing him. They're moving too fast, I won't be able to keep up."

"W-What do we do now?" The panic was real.

"Prisoner release. Protocol initiated," The computerised voice spoke, the words echoing throughout Star Labs.

"What the hell?" Iris muttered in confusion, as the girls watched the situation go down from the computer screens.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!"

"No!"

Joe fired his gun, but Peek-a-boo teleported, dodging the bullets with ease. She then moved back, hitting Joe in the chest, leaving him stumbling backwards into Cisco, giving her just enough time to keep them out. Peek-a-boo pressed the button on the panel as soon as she was out, locking both Joe and Cisco on the other side, leaving them stuck in the particle accelerator chamber.

"Enjoy your stay boys," Peek-a-boo laughed, waving goodbye tauntingly as she winked at the two men, disappearing upstairs.

Sophia jumped into action immediately, leaving no time for her to put a mask on. She couldn't risk letting Peek-a-boo out. Not having her suit on allowed her the element of surprise. She pushed Caitlin and Iris behind her, standing in front of the red-head in a protective stance.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck in that box?" Shawna asked, a crazed look on her face. Sophia took a step forward, ducking a punch that was coming her way. On purpose, Sophia lamely aimed a punch towards Shawna, missing completely.

"Now you're the one who's gonna go into a box. In the ground," Shawna taunted, teleporting to the other side of the room, standing in the very spot that Sophia had wanted her to move in. She knew that it would be much easier to hit her if she was on the opposite side of the room. She was just glad that Shawna's abilities only worked if she was able to visualise the place, otherwise they would have lost her a long time ago.

"Sorry sweetheart, looks like you're gonna have to go back in the box," Sophia spoke up this time, her eyes glowing blue as she shot a single beam of blue energy at Shawna, blasting her with enough power to knock her out. The moments leading up to it were quite satisfying, Shawna's eyes growing wide as she realised that the girl standing before her wasn't just some ordinary office girl, but in fact the Sapphire Knight who had taken her out before.

"Are you two okay?" Sophia asked turning to face Caitlin and Iris who looked a bit shaken.

"Yeah," Iris replied with wide eyes as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened.

"I'm gonna go put her back in her cell. Caitlin, can you release the door holding Cisco and Joe?" Sophia asked, throwing Shawna into a bubble, levitating her body.

"I'm on it."

"I still can't get over the fact that you have super powers," Iris commented as Sophia moved Shawna's body out of the cortex.

"I don't think I'll ever get over it," Sophia said with a laugh.

Getting down to the particle accelerator was easy. Within a few minutes, Shawna was locked back up in her prison cell, and she would wake up later with a nasty headache. Though this situation had been contained, there was still a large ball of anxiety sitting in the pit of her stomach as her mind drifted back to Barry. They hadn't heard back from him yet, and she was worried that something had happened between him and the Reverse-Flash. Last she had checked they were just running around the city, trying to catch one another, but with Peek-a-boo on the loose, she hadn't had a chance to check up on him again.

She flew down into the particle accelerator chamber, landing softly on the ground just behind Cisco and Joe.

"You guys alright?" She asked, her eyes rolling over their forms to see that they weren't injured, leaving her with a sense of relief.

"All good here," Joe said with a nod. "How do you think she got out of there?"

"Wells must have released her," Cisco guessed. It was the only logical explanation. They had made her prison with mirrored glass, meaning that she wouldn't be able to teleport out of there. It was a system malfunction, someone had hacked into it.

"Help." A soft voice cried out, echoing in the distance.

"Wait a sec," Joe stopped as they were walking back up. "Did you hear that?" He turned around looking at Cisco and Sophia.

"I checked all the containment cells. Everyone's accounted for."

"No, no. Listen."

Sophia listened carefully, and she heard it again, her eyes widening in recognition.

" _Help_! Down here!" It was Eddie. She flew toward the voice, opening what looked like a door to an empty shaft or pipe, and it suddenly revealed a small room, and Eddie tied and bound to a chair. She ran inside, not wasting a second as she kneeled down by Eddie's form.

"Help!"

"Eddie?" Joe asked out of breath as he caught up with Cisco trailing behind him.

" _Oh_ , partner."

"Oh, my god," Sophia breathed out, using her energy to vaporise the rope wrapped around his wrists and ankles, focusing carefully as not to hurt him further. She could see the angry red marks that marred his skin, particularly around his hands, and it was enough to make her blind with anger towards the Reverse-Flash.

Eddie visibly relaxed his shoulders as they came to his rescue, a small tear escaping his closed eyelids as they put their arms around him, supporting him as he stood up for the first time in days. His face was pale, and he looked like he was going to be sick.

"I got you."

"We've got you Eddie," Sophia said, helping Joe pull him out of there. She picked up Eddie as best as she could, using her powers to support her as she flew him back to the cortex, rousing Caitlin immediately as he needed medical attention. Iris just stood in the hallway for a moment, not believing the sight before her before jumping into action, and wrapping her arms around him for a quick hug, trying not to burst into tears as she saw him sit on the bed before her.

* * *

"Your vitals are normal, but you're just a little bit dehydrated," Caitlin informed Eddie as Iris sat by his side on the bed.

"But the IV we gave you should help with that. Make sure to drink some fluids and stay off your feet, you need the rest," Sophia told him, giving him a small smile. She was elated that after all this time they had finally found him.

"Thanks Caitlin, and Sophia."

"Wells got away, he was too fast. He's always too fast," Barry said as he zoomed into the cortex, pulling off his hood aggressively. He was tired, his body ached and he was so sick of being so close to capturing Wells, only to have him slip through his fingers. It was a moment later that Barry had noticed Eddie sitting on the bed.

"Eddie," Barry breathed out.

"We found him under that hatch in the pipeline," Sophia told Barry, walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. She wanted nothing more than to just pull Barry into her arms, relieved that the Reverse-Flash had not hurt him, but she knew better that to do that right now.

"I'm so sorry. I thought I looked for everywhere for you," Barry apologised, and Eddie shook his head.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Iris said. "Sophia and you looked everywhere. Wells tricked us."

"Sometimes you just can't see the clues. Even if they're right in front of you."

"I'm just glad that we're all safe and back together," Sophia said giving them all a soft smile.

"Eddie, why did he take you?" Barry asked.

"I don't know," Eddie exhaled and Iris tightened her grip on his hand, not wanting to let go. "He said that we're…family. Said his real name was Eobard Thawne."

"Eobard _Thawne_?"

"Just like in my dream," Cisco mumbled to Sophia who was standing next to him.

"Did he say anything else?" Barry asked. "I mean, anything that could help us figure out what he's really after?"

"I…he didn't say much. He just kept working on some tube."

"A tube? What did it look like?" Cisco jumped in.

"Metallic, futuristic," Eddie described it, unsure of what words to use. He had never seen anything like it before. "He said it was the key to him getting back everything that was taken from him."

"The key?" Barry questioned. "I don't understand. What-"

"Yeah, I don't know. Look, I just want to go home. Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course," Barry replied. He felt guilty for interrogating Eddie, but they needed every little piece of information they could get. Anything would be helpful at this point.

"I'll make sure he gets some rest."

"Make sure he keeps his fluids up, and only light foods, otherwise he might feel nauseous after not having a lot for the past few days," Sophia advised Iris who nodded, giving her a thankful smile.

Once they had left the room, Sophia walked over to Barry, placing her hands on both of his shoulders to grab his attention. He looked up at her, and the tired lines were evidence around his eyes. They had both been stressing more in this last week than they had in their entire lives. It was starting to take a toll. He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him so their bodies were touching, bringing him a sense of comfort.

"Why don't you go change, I'll grab you something to drink."

"Thanks, Soph," Barry said softly, leaning his forehead against hers for a moment before releasing his hold on her and placing a delicate kiss on her cheek before moving to go change.

* * *

Sophia sat on a wheelie chair in the middle of the cortex, sipping on the cold juice that she had just flew to pick up from a place near her apartment. Watermelon, pineapple and orange had never tasted so good. She thought it sounded like a bit of a weird combination, but after trying it with Anna for the first time in a similar juice bar in Metropolis, she knew that this was the only flavour for her.

She was lazily monitoring the computers, watching the prison cells in the Particle Accelerator to make sure that their prisoners were behaving well. After this morning's impromptu break-out of Peek-a-boo, she was trying to be more cautious. Her eyes then drifted to the second screen that was open as she took a long sip of her drink, the straw making a strangling noise as she drained the last of the sweet liquid. She tilted her chair slightly, angling her arm to throw the bottle, watching as it soared through the air before landing in the desired bin.

"She shoots, she scores." She smiled to herself, proud of her achievement, blushing when she noticed that Caitlin and Barry were watching her from across the room with amused smiles. She turned her attention back to the second screen she had been looking at, watching as Cisco guided them as he walked along the dark hallway.

"What do you think Wells was talking about?" Cisco asked, continuing his search down in the depths of the Particle Accelerator chamber to locate the device that Eddie had been talking about only an hour ago. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was sure that Wells had something else planned for them.

"Could be anything," Sophia replied, holding her finger down on the button for the mic.

Moments later, a beeping noise erupted in her ears, and she quickly turned in her chair to face Caitlin and Barry with a curious look.

 _Spoke too soon._

"Oh, no, no, no."

The noise was coming from Cisco on the other side of the video feed.

"What?" Caitlin asked, walking over and peering over Sophia's shoulder, a frown seemed to have taken up permanent residency on her forehead.

"What now?" Barry asked exasperatedly as he moved to sit beside Sophia to get a better look at the screen.

"Um, are you seeing this?" Cisco asked, receiving a hum from Sophia. "That's the tube Eddie was talking about. It's some sort of future power source. That's what's charging up the accelerator," Cisco explained. Sophia's face nearly paled when she heard that last line. Why the hell was Wells powering up the Accelerator? The last time it had exploded, and she didn't want to know what it was going to do this time round, in fear that it would be much worse.

"Can you shut it down?" Barry asked.

"Do you see a power button anywhere on this thing?" Cisco asked sarcastically as he zoomed in on the metallic tube that looked much too advance for anything built in this time. "Dude, this thing is from the future. It's beyond me. I press, or touch, or cut the wrong thing, I could bring the whole building down."

"Okay. How long until it's fully functional?" Barry asked, figuring that Cisco shouldn't experiment with the futuristic technology just yet.

"Best I can tell, 36 hours," Cisco estimated with a heavy sigh.

"That's when Wells will be back," Barry said with such conviction that Sophia believed it to be true. Wells had placed it there for a reason, he wouldn't just leave it there for them to play around with once it was ready.

"Why would Wells want the Particle Accelerator to work again?"

"I don't know. It's not like it was such a big success the first time," Caitlin muttered.

"But the explosion made Barry, The Flash. It made me Sapphire, hell it made all the meta-humans we have locked up in that chamber," Sophia exhaled, doing her very best not to grit her teeth in frustration, a habit that she was beginning to develop in this line of work, something that wasn't good for her molars.

A moment later, Joe walked into the room, and Sophia quickly updated him on the current situation. He nodded, leaning against the wall listening quietly as they discussed their next move.

"So what happens if the Particle Accelerator turns on while the meta-humans are in their containment cells?"

"They're toast," Sophia blurted out. If the machine turned on while they were still in there, then they would burn alive. It didn't take a world renowned scientist to figure that out.

"We put them down there, and now their lives are in danger because of us," Barry told them. Sophia's eyes grazed lazily over his face, and she knew in an instant what he was thinking. They had to relocate the prisoners. That was the only way. It was cruel and unjust to leave them laying in their prison cells to die.

"Look, I think you all know I've never been a fan of this arrangement here. I thought the whole plan was to rehabilitate them and set them free," Joe said.

"It was."

"We've been a little busy," Barry said, feeling guilty.

"Understatement of the year," Sophia mumbled under her breath.

"Well, if they stay in there, they die. And if we let them go, they destroy the city. We're gonna have to move them," Barry rationalised.

 _Knew it_ , Sophia thought to herself. _Thank god you have such a kind heart Barry Allen._

"Move them where exactly? Iron Heights can't handle meta-humans," Joe pointed out with a grimace on his face. They were running out of options.

"You're right, but Lian Yu can." Sophia frowned, what the hell was Lian Yu.

"What the hell's a 'Lian Yu'?" Joe asked, taking the words right out of Sophia's mouth.

"Lian Yu is the island where Oliver was stranded for five years. ARGUS built a covert military prison on it. It's where we sent Captain Boomerang. Oliver keeps his worst criminals there. They won't be able to escape, and more importantly, they won't be able to hurt anybody," Barry explained.

"Great. So we ship them from one illegal black sit to another?" Joe mused with a laugh that sounded almost fake.

"Yeah, I guess so. Yes."

"And how do we move them to Oliver's own private Alcatraz?" Joe inquired just as Cisco walked back into the room.

"I'll call him. Maybe he can help with the transport," Barry suggested. "And Cisco… if we do this, nobody can get loose."

"I might have a way of getting them out of here safely." Cisco pursed his lips as he thought about it. He was sure that he would be able to replicate the cells in the Particle Accelerator to design some sort of containment chamber to transport them in.

"I'll be plan B, I may not be able to hold them all for long, but my energy shields will contain them if something does go wrong," Sophia said, standing up.

"All right, get on it."

"Bar, this is insane," Joe whispered now that the team had all moved out to get things done. Sophia was hovering by Cisco and Caitlin as they looked over Cisco's idea.

"Joe, we have to do this." They couldn't leave them down there to die, and they had to get them out of the city if they wanted to keep everyone safe.

"You don't think that if we start bussing super-villains through downtown, nobody's gonna notice?" Joe's sarcasm was at an all-time high this morning.

"Oh, they'll notice." Barry smirked as the plan puzzled together in his head. "That's where you two will come in," Barry said looking at Joe and then back at Sophia behind them who blinked in realisation.

" _Oh_."

* * *

"Cecile, how's my favourite godmother?" Sophia said with a smile as she walked into the D.A's office with Joe in tow. "Thanks for letting us stop by."

"Anything for my favourite goddaughter, and detective," Cecile responded with a bright smile, motioning for them to both take a seat. "So what can I do for you two? You sounded a little cryptic on the phone."

"Yeah, I wanted your opinion on something. These people with powers, the meta-humans," Joe started off.

"Is that what they're calling them?" Cecile asked with a raised brow, certainly intrigued by the new terminology being used.

"People love their labels," Sophia jumped in with a polite smile.

"Yes. Let's say, hypothetically, I know a prison of sorts, a place that can do what Iron Heights can't. Where these meta-humans, the bad ones, are being locked up."

"I would be very concerned," Cecile spoke, her tone becoming harder by the second. Cecile shot Sophia a stern look and she knew that she probably should have let Joe come in alone, but Barry had insisted, after all, it was Cecile who had granted Sophia the extra time when they needed to clear Eddies name when dealing with the Everyman. "Especially if, _hypothetically_ , you had anything to do with it." There was a pause before she continued. "Why are you asking me about this?"

"Well, because Singh's on his honeymoon, and you're the only other person I can trust to know this."

"Please, Cecile, it's important," Sophia piped in, and judging by the look on her godmother's face, she could tell that the longer she stared up at her, the longer her resolve ebbed away. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and then Cecile looked back at Joe.

"Okay, what are you asking me to do?"

"I need to clear a route through the city. Barricades, police cars, the words," Joe said, putting all the cards on the table.

"What am I supposed to tell people?"

"The Presidents in town?" Joe said jokingly, and Sophia nudged him slightly with her elbow, knowing that jokes weren't going to work with Cecile.

"I don't know," Joe confessed with a sigh. "Anything, it doesn't matter what you tell them."

"No, Joe. What you're doing, it's called unlawful imprisonment and human smuggling," Cecile said, and Sophia could see the fire growing in her eyes. "Joe, those are very bad things."

"These are some bad people, Cecile. I've been caught up in their mess before, and it's not something I would wish on anyone," Sophia said, and Cecile's face softened as she remembered that Sophia was indeed kidnapped by Captain Cold and his motley crew of rogues a few months back. But Sophia was speaking from her heart and her other past experiences, her thoughts flashing back to what happened with _The Mist_ and even _Blackout_ , sending an unpleasant shiver down her spine. Back in those days she hadn't been able to protect herself with her powers, at least not like she could now.

"But their lives are in danger," Joe said. "We can't leave them to fend for themselves, but we can't release them either."

"I can't… I can't get involved in this, Joe," Cecile said. It was illegal and it went against every firm belief she held as the D.A of Central City. "I can't. And as your friend, and quite possibly the attorney who will one day be prosecuting you, I'm telling you, get as far away from this as possible. Both of you," Cecile advised, her last words directed at Sophia as well.

Sophia tried to muster a smile, but inside she was unsure of what to feel. They had come here for advice and for help, but they were leaving without the help they so desperately needed.

* * *

"Okay, so ARGUS has a transport plane that can take the meta-humans to Lian Yu. We just need to get them to Ferris Airfield."

"So Oliver Queen came through then?" Joe assumed.

"Uh, no. Actually, it was not him. Apparently he's in Nanda Parbat…"

"What?"

"Wherever that is," Barry trailed off. "I don't know. I called Lyla, Diggle's wife. She's gonna hook us up." At least that was one thing sorted. Joe and Sophia gave each other a wary look as they knew what Barry would be asking them next.

"So, what about CCPD giving us an escort?" Sophia cringed as soon as the question came off of Barry's lips. And that rarely happened when Barry spoke.

"Man, it ain't happening," Joe put it simply.

"What?" Barry gaped.

"We spoke to the D.A. She was very clear. I could lose my badge, I could go to jail."

"We could all go to jail. She can't help us Bar, I'm sorry," Sophia apologised. She felt terrible that they weren't able to pull through, but sometimes these things just happen.

"We…we are protecting people," Barry spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He was trying his best to do the right thing by everyone, and it seemed like every thing he did to fix the bigger picture just seemed to collapse in on him and send him back to square one.

"I know, but we're all breaking rules that we have to keep."

"Sophia's right. I mean, at what point do we become no different than the people we're fighting?" Joe asked.

"We _are_ different."

"How?"

"We only break the rules to help people," Barry spoke clearly before leaving the room.

"Don't worry about him Joe, I'll go talk to him," Sophia said, and Joe nodded, leaving Sophia to deal with Barry.

She found him sitting on the rooftop, and as she watched him from afar, she thought back to all the times they had come up here to just escape from their life, from the stress of it all. She let a small smile grace her lips when she thought back to the many heated kisses they had shared on this rooftop, and in an instant her solemn mood was replaced with one of hope. They would find a way. If the CCPD couldn't help them, then they would do things differently. Because she knew, looking at his figure now, that she would fight for him, and in turn, she would fight for everyone. He reminded her the reason she fought was to keep others safe, most importantly, to keep the people she loved safe.

"Long day, huh?" Sophia plopped down next to him, matching his stance as he sat with his back straight, and his legs dangling off the roof, flirting with danger.

"Understatement of the year," Barry said, letting out a dark chuckle. Sophia took his hand in her own, intertwining their fingers. She slowly rubbed circles onto the back of his warm hand, trying to ease his stress.

"I know we couldn't get Cecile on board, but whatever we do next, we're doing it for the right reasons. We'll find a way to get the job done."

"I think I might have an idea, I'm just worried that you'll think I'm absolutely bat-shit crazy," Barry said, turning to look at her.

"Well, go on then, Mr. Allen," Sophia said with a smile, glad to see that he wasn't completely down in the dumps at this point. He took the opportunity, voicing his idea to Sophia. He told her of the risks, the party they would be partnering with, everything. He was done after a few minutes, and she just stared off into the distance before turning back to stare at his green eyes that looked to her with hope.

"You _are_ absolutely bat-shit crazy, Allen," Sophia spoke, before letting out a laugh. "You think it'll work?" She asked biting down on her lip. As much as she didn't like the idea, she knew that Barry and herself would not be able to transport all of these meta-humans by themselves. It was hard enough to capture them, if even one of them got out, their plan would be a complete bust.

"There's only one way to find out," Barry said, standing up, and holding his hand out to her. "You with me?"

"Always," She said, and she noted that it sounded almost romantic, which was funny when she thought about what they were referring too. "Even if you are a bit bat-shit crazy."

"Love you too," Barry said with a laugh before whisking her up in his arms and running them out of there, making sure to make a pit stop at home for a costume change- Sophia insisted.

* * *

"Give me another one. Ice cold," Leonard Snart told the waitress, sliding his empty glass over to the edge of the table, allowing her to pick it up with ease as she moved to grab him another scotch.

A moment later Leonard was graced with a wonderful surprise. Sliding into the booth across from him, was the one and only, super couple of Central City. Sophia Lang and Barry Allen. Leonard sent Sophia a wink, receiving a roll of her eyes in response.

"Well, well, well," Leonard said in a drawled tone. "If it isn't the scarlet speedster, and the sapphire knight."

"We need to talk," Barry spoke simply, getting to the point. He crossed his arms, the black leather jacket he was currently donning, tightening against his arms, a sight that Sophia welcomed, thanking herself for insisting on changing clothes before they came down to the seedy bar. She had made sure that they both changed out of their usual bright coloured clothing, and wore something darker to blend in with the crowd her. After all, she wanted to look the part, so she too had worn pretty much an all-black ensemble, with boots to match.

"You want anything? Beer, food?" Leonard asked, with a smirk. "Picked eggs here are fantastic." He continued to pick at the food on his place, popping a french-fry in his mouth.

"No, I'm good."

"What about you _sweetheart_? A whiskey perhaps?"

"I'm more of a scotch kind of girl. But we're here on business," Sophia spoke. Ask her to do this when she first started out at Star Labs and she would have laughed in your face, and then promptly fainted. But now that she had faced criminals more dangerous than Snart, and taken them down, she was more comfortable in this position than she would have previously thought.

"Maybe next time it'll be pleasure?" Leonard teased, his eyes drifting over to Barry who was currently glaring at him. Sophia huffed unpleasantly, annoyed with Leonard's flirting.

She grabbed Barry's hand from under the table, holding onto it tight, as though she was reassuring him that she was _his_ , and that Leonard's teasing was just _that_.

"We need your help with a problem," Barry said firmly, trying to not let his anger get the better of him. He was already under a mountain of stress, and he didn't need his jealousy to take control of this conversation, not when Snart was their only chance.

"Must be pretty desperate to come asking for my assistance, but I'll bite. What do you need?" Leonard asked, intrigued as to why they had come to _him_ of all people for aid.

"Help transporting some people out of the city."

"How many?"

"Five."

"Five very bad, very angry people who have powers," Sophia piped in.

"Powers, hmm?" Leonard hummed. "So you want me to what? _Freeze_ the problem? Protect you from them if anything goes wrong? First rule of business, always protect yourself. I'm not gonna help you usher your enemies out of town," Leonard spoke swiftly, leaning back against the booth, taking a sip of his drink.

"Hey, they're not just our enemies. They're your enemies too," Sophia pointed out. Snart didn't have powers, and they were a threat to him, and everything that he wanted in Central City. With them running around, he would be reduced from the criminal he was to just another innocent bystander. Even his gun wouldn't be able to protect him forever from those meta-humans.

"I doubt it," Leonard spoke, tilting his head to the side.

"They will destroy Central City," Barry hissed.

"It's not _my_ problem."

"You said that you love it here. That this is your home," Barry pressed further, trying to convince Snart that he needed to help them.

"I do and it is."

"Well, guess what? These people get loose, there won't be a city to love anymore. You won't be able to rob anyone if everybody's dead," Barry spoke in a low tone and Sophia had to restrain herself again. She didn't know what it was, but every time he spoke like that, it sent a sliver of pleasure down her spine, even though it was completely inappropriate.

"It's a compelling argument. But if I'm gonna help you out… I'll need something in return," Snart spoke.

"Like what?" Barry asked hesitantly.

"This."

Barry let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head. There was no way in hell that he would be able to pull that off, even if he wanted to. Sophia peered over and raised a brow at Snart. He had balls for asking for such a big favour. She looked over wearily at Barry, and wondered if he would even consider doing it. If this was the only way that Snart would help them… maybe they had to do it. She let out a hearty sigh as she leaned back into the booth, letting Barry do the talking. She knew that before this business had started with Snart, that they would have to compromise some of their morals and values even if they didn't want to.

"No. This is impossible," Barry told Snart. "I can't do that."

"Then I can't help you." _Called it._

"There has to be something else that you want, anything else," Sophia spoke up, looking at Snart with pleading eyes. He shook his head, keeping his expression stoic and serious as Sophia stared him down.

"This is all I want, if you can't get it, we don't have a deal sweetheart."

* * *

"So are we going to do this? Are we going to cross the line to get his help?" Sophia asked, her words chosen carefully as she spoke to Barry as they walked down the halls to the cortex. They had decided that they would use the walk to chat about it before confronting the rest of the team with the notion, knowing that they would receive a varied selection of "Hell no's." and more.

"If it's the only way we can do this, then yes. I know it's not ideal, but it's something we have to do."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Barry blinked, looking at her with wide eyes. He had expected her to at least fight him on it a bit before agreeing to help out. He knew that she would stand by his side, but he hadn't realised that she would react so… calm.

"If we have to make a deal with the devil to protect not only those Meta's but the rest of Central City, then it's what we have to do."

He just stood there in the hallway, staring at her like she was the sun, the stars and the moon all in one.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that for?" Sophia asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his burning gaze.

He just shook his head, giving her a smile before taking her hand in his, and pulling her in for a kiss. His lips melded with her own feverishly, one hand in her own, the other resting against her cheek, guiding her lips to his. She gasped at the sudden contact, before relaxing into his touch, returning the kiss with equal fever. They had been too busy with everything around them that they hadn't had a lot of time lately for each other, and god did she miss it. She let out an airy moan in delight as his hands tightened against her waist, her own travelling up his chest, securing soundly behind his neck. She had to admit that between all this mess she hadn't been able to spend quality time with her boyfriend, doing things that couples normally do, which included spontaneous make-out sessions. She squealed in both surprise and pleasure when his hands moved slightly lower than her back and a moment later they came up for air, breathless and staring at each other through hooded eyelids. His eyes sparkled, and Sophia was sure that if she looked a little bit closer, she would be able to gaze into the depths of the universe, stars shining brightly in his eyes.

"Not that I don't love your kisses, but…" She trailed off, waiting for an explanation for his out of character behaviour in the last minute or two. They weren't big on PDA, but then again, it was just the two of them in the empty hallway.

"I just didn't expect you to jump right on board without objecting to the idea first."

"I was there with you, I know what Snart is like. There's no way we're gonna convince him to choose something else, and we need his help, so this is the only option. Don't forget what I said Barry. It's an absolute disaster of an idea, but no matter what, I'm gonna be fighting by your side," She told him, placing her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look in her eyes. "You never have to ask."

"I still don't get it," Barry murmured as they started strolling down the hallway again.

"Get what?" She asked, intertwining her fingers with his.

"How I was so lucky to find you," Barry said with a laugh and she blushed, nudging his shoulder.

"Whatever, Mr. Charmer."

"Only for you."

Sophia let out a sigh as she spotted Joe as they strolled into the cortex. "You gonna tell Joe, or should I?"

"I'll tell him. Watch out for Snart. He's meant to be meeting us here soon," Barry said and Sophia nodded, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek as she watched Barry walk over to chat with Joe. She leaned against the wall closest to the entrance of the cortex, figuring that from here she could listen to the conversation, and watch out for Snart's appearance.

"Are you out of your mind?" Joe nearly yelled. Sophia would have laughed if it was any other situation. "What do you mean you talked to Leonard Snart?"

"I asked him for help. We'll, Sophia and I," Barry told Joe.

"Barry, why would you do something so stupid?" Joe asked incredulously.

"Because, Joe, we have already tried everyone else. Look, you tried the CCPD. I tried Oliver, Ronnie and Dr. Stein. Sophia even tried to get into contact with Superman of all people, but he was dealing with a crisis. And the Particle Accelerator goes online in," Barry looked down at his watch. "16 hours."

It was silent, and Barry took a deep breath.

"16 hours, Joe." His voice was full of desperation now. "I'm not willing to let the Meta's die, and we can't let them escape, either. So like it or not, Snart, with his cold gun, is the only one that can stop them if Cisco's transportation does not hold."

"Then lucky for you I figured out what it is you can get me," Snart said as he stalked into the room. Sophia had been so caught up in listening to Joe and Barry that she had forgotten about him, nearly jumping at the sound of his voice as he came up behind her.

"Hello, Detective. Nice to see you again," Snart greeted, throwing a smile to the others. "Caitlin, Cisco."

"I thought about your proposal. You want me help, this is what I want," Snart said, but both Sophia and Barry already knew what it was he wanted. This was more just for show, and for the others to find out. "My fingerprints, dental records, DNA, criminal records, family tree, everything there is in this world concerning Leonard Snart."

Joe opened his mouth to ask why he wanted this when Snart cut him off.

"I want it destroyed. All of it. At CCPD, online, everywhere."

"The brass on this dude," Joe spoke with fake laughter. "You really think we'd do that for you?"

"I'll do it. If it's the only way, fine," Barry spoke up, surprising everyone in the room, except for Sophia who had agreed to help in the first place, and Snart who was watching on with a smug look. He knew that Barry and Sophia wouldn't be able to resist, after all, if they were desperate enough to come to him for help in the first place, then they wouldn't have a problem with completing one little favour to keep that partnership, otherwise they would be back at square one.

"We need to talk, now," Joe said in a stern voice, dragging Barry out of the room, leaving Sophia behind with Snart. She left Snart in Caitlin and Cisco's presence as she went to change into her super-suit before returning to let them off baby-sitting duty. She had retracted the cape of her suit, leaving her just wearing the one-piece, with her mask on. She flexed her fingers in the leather gloves on her hands, noting that Leonard watched her every move.

"Would you like to take a seat?" Sophia asked, Leonard. It was better than standing up waiting for Barry to come back.

"Why not."

Sophia said in the chair across from him, her eyes never leaving his face. She watched him carefully, scrutinising his every move. She wanted to know what was going on in that head of his. If Barry completed this task, would he really help them? Would he betray them?

"I know I'm a pretty sight sweetheart, but there's no need to stare," Leonard spoke in that annoying flirting tone.

"Get over yourself, Snart," Sophia spoke with much more conviction than she thought she had. "And stop with the whole _sweetheart_ act, you know that I'm not interested."

"Who said you had to be interested?" She clenched her jaw at his comment, and crossed her arms, glaring at him, without noticing her eyes had started glowing their usual blue hue.

"Now, that is a beautiful sight. Your eyes light up a similar blue to that of my cold gun," Leonard spoke, leaning forward to get a better look. She blinked, and the colour faded, golden brown left behind.

"Whatever goes down tonight, you better not double cross us."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because if you do, then you should know that I will come after you with everything I have, and then I won't be much of a _sweetheart_." Her words hung in the air, and judging by Snart's surprised expression, she knew that he had picked up on the threat painted in her words. He didn't have a chance to respond to her as Barry came rushing back into the room, dressed in his super-suit, with Leonards files in his hands.

"I've deleted everything the CCPD, ARGUS, and the FBI had on you, and sent a virus to erase every digital record of you online," Barry explained, handing the box to over to Leonard roughly. "And this is every single piece of physical evidence the police had."

"Good."

"I hear we're all going to be working together," A voice announced, revealing the one and only Lisa Snart as she strutted into the room, dressed in her typical leather get-up, her black stilettos clacking against the floor of the cortex.

"What the hell is it with you Snart's and dramatic entrances," Sophia muttered under her breath, earning an 'I know right' from Barry who was standing next to her.

"That's right, Sis," Leonard spoke with a tight smile.

" _Partners_."

"Please tell me this is a joke," Caitlin spoke, looking at the two villains standing across from their two heroes.

"Unfortunately, sorry Cait," Sophia spoke up, throwing her a look of sorry.

"Oh, you were right, Lenny," Lisa laughed, her eyes trailing down Caitlin's form. "She is very uptight."

"I am not uptight," Caitlin protested, standing up straighter, with a tense look on her face. "You can't call me uptight."

"Look, guys, we need their help if we're gonna pull this off," Barry pleaded for them to see reason.

"Why are you wearing your masks?" Cisco asked, directed at both Barry and Sophia. They didn't need to be in their suits, and he couldn't imagine it was comfortable to be in leather all day. Then again, he had designed their suits and he knew that it wasn't all that bad. "Snart already knows who you are."

"And I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. That includes my sister," Snart spoke up.

" _Jerk_ ," Lisa commented, nudging his shoulder.

" _Train-wreck_ ," Snart threw back. "Don't look so surprised, Detective. I am a man of my word."

"Yeah, you better be. Or I'm gonna make sure you're on that damn plane, too," Joe warned and Sophia smirked, loving the fact that Snart had been threatened so much over the course of the day.

* * *

Sophia found herself standing with Caitlin, Cisco and Lisa whilst Joe, Barry and Snart spoke over other details. She had enough interaction with Leonard for the day, so she migrated over to the others.

"Hey, Cisco," Lisa spoke, leaning against the table next to where Cisco was working on his tablet.

"Oh, hey, Captain Cold's evil sister," Cisco said, not bothering to spare a glance her way. He had been frustrated to find out last minute that Lisa Snart would be accompanying them on their mission to transport the meta-human prisoners to Lian Yu. He wasn't too fussed about Leonard, but the younger Snart knew where to push his buttons, and after their last encounter he was sure that this one would be just as insane.

"Aww," Lisa cooed. "You're not still mad at me, are you?" Lisa asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Knock it off blondie," Sophia commented, glaring at her through her mask.

"I really did enjoy kissing you," Lisa told Cisco, ignoring Sapphire's comment.

"You kissed her?" Caitlin blurted out with wide eyes, both her and Sophia turning to stare at Cisco. He certainly hadn't mentioned that.

"Under duress. Calm down," Cisco told the two girls by his side who were watching the situation unveil.

"I've… I've thought a lot about you."

"Have you really? Well, stop. Because this right here," Cisco motioned between the two of them. "It ain't gonna happen."

"A girl can hope."

Cisco inhaled deeply, and Sophia giggled lightly at his expression. He obviously liked Lisa, one way or another and he was visibly frustrated by this situation, and her flirting. Sophia figured that the Snart family had all taken classes on flirting as kids, they seemed to do it in the most inappropriate of situations.

"Really not enjoying being one of the good guys this week. _Really not_."

"Hey dude," Barry asked walking over. "Have you figured out a way to get the meta-humans to the airport."

"I have, actually. And it's pretty dope." Cisco then showed him the plans of using the truck that he had chosen to use for transportation. It was certainly large enough, and it fit perfectly in his plan to create a portable meta-human prison with similar qualities to that of the Particle Accelerator. He was quite proud of the fact that he had thought of it, and he knew that it wouldn't take long to prepare which was an added bonus.

"This is cool. Where'd you get it?"

"My uncle owns it. His company hauls frozen food cross country," Cisco explained. " _Okay_ ," He placed his fingers on the tablet, tapping it lightly as he zoomed in on the specs of the vehicle. "So I retrofitted the cooling system with the wheelchairs power source to create an energy damper."

"Which means what exactly?"

"Basically, the back of this rig is being flooded with so much power that is effectively creating a transient pulse strong enough to disrupt the meta-human's powers, so we can get them to the airport and get them on a plane without them getting fresh on us."

"Nice. If the power source goes out, I'll be the back-up, but I'll only be able to hold it for so long," Sophia added. She knew that the amount of energy that needed to go into keeping it stable would be too much for her to keep up for a long period of time.

"Technically, we need somebody with a Class A commercial driver's license to drive this though," Cisco pointed out. Sophia frowned, knowing that none of them had it.

"I can drive it," Lisa offered.

"What?" Cisco blinked.

"I have a Class A CDL."

"You do?" Caitlin asked curiously, finding it to be a bit weird for someone of Lisa's background.

"We can't all be doctors," Lisa shot at Caitlin who frowned at the batty comment.

"All right, well, let's do this. Plane's gonna be here in two hours."

And they got to work.

* * *

Sapphire flew lower than she usually would on missions. She needed to keep a sharp eye out on the cargo, and the darkness of the night did a good job of keeping her body hidden in the shadows of the sky as she watched from above, gliding through the air. She noted that tonight slightly chillier than usual, sending a shiver down her spine.

"How's the cargo holding up Cisco?" Joe asked, his words travelling through the comm. She was at least glad this way they could hear what was going on.

"So far, so good."

It was silent until Lisa then spoke up, and Sophia groaned aloud when she heard the two flirting. She admitted that she wanted to fake gag really loudly over the comm. just to embarrass them both, and show her obvious distaste for the Snart family, but she thought it would be funnier to just tease Cisco with her words instead.

"A bit inappropriate right now, wouldn't you say, Cisco?" Sapphire commented through the call, causing Lisa to let out a giggle at Cisco's flushed face as he sat next to the driver's seat in the truck. The Snart sibling was enjoying the ride with Cisco, and she was excited for what would happen next, not that anyone else knew.

"It's not like you and The Flash are innocent," Cisco grumbled.

"Cisco," Sapphire said in a warning tone, with a layer of teasing hidden in there. She knew that Snart knew Sophia and Barry were a thing, but they didn't want to make it public news that The Flash and Sapphire were in a relationship, it wouldn't work out well, and there would be a strong chance that their enemies would target one or the other as leverage. It wasn't like it was the first time it had occurred. Eobard certainly liked to use it to his advantage a lot of the time.

"Oh, come on."

"I'm turning my comm. off. We're nearly there," Sapphire said, pressing the button. She took this opportunity of peace to focus her thoughts. She needed to be on her A game tonight. She wasn't sure why, but she had a bad feeling about this whole thing.

The truck was safely delivered to the abandoned airport, with Cisco and Lisa sitting in the front seats, monitoring their prisoners, whilst Sapphire, The Flash, Snart and Joe waited on the landing strip, waiting for their plane to arrive.

"Ferris Air? I thought this place got shut down."

"It did. One of their test pilots disappeared."

"So what's the plan? I want to get this over with," Snart asked impatiently. He still wasn't completely sure of what was going to go down next, and it was leaving him flustered. He needed to know the plan, it was just in his behaviour.

"It should be here any minute," Barry told Snart before leaving him to his own devices, walking over to Joe who stood by Sophia's side, talking in hushed tones.

"Look, Joe, I know you don't agree with this…"

"Save it, Bar. I just want to get it done."

"Your ARGUS friends aren't very prompt. Maybe that's why they've never been able to catch me," Leonard quipped, and Sapphire rolled her eyes. Leonard secretly took the reaction as a good sign. He loved to wind her up, especially when her boyfriend was around, it was certainly a sight to behold, and he got a kick out of it. He wouldn't dare pursue Sophia Lang romantically, but he was an idiot to ignore the fact that she was a natural beauty, and that she had a sharp tongue to match her wit, a few qualities that would have made her the perfect partner in crime, if only she wasn't a teacher's pet.

"Look, there it is," Sophia pointed out, watching as the plane landed in the distance, slowly rolling on the airstrip.

"Uh-oh," Cisco's voice rang out through the comm. meaning that he must have turned it back on.

"What's wrong?" Barry asked.

"That's not good."

"Cisco, what's going on?" Sophia turned to the truck in worry.

"Guys, guys, we have a problem!" Cisco exclaimed as he examined the chart, watching the energy spike and then drop dramatically, alarming him as he tried to fix the issue with a few taps on the screen of his tablet, but nothing seemed to be working. They were losing power, and fast. "The damper's fluctuating. The rig is losing power. I don't know why."

"Wait, can you do something?"

"I'm trying."

"I'm on it," Sophia flew over to the back of the truck where the retrofitting Cisco had installed was sitting. She placed her hands on the metal device, funnelling her energy through the machine, trying to turn it back on.

"It's stabilising," Cisco informed, relaxing them all a little as he watched the energy levels on his tablet rise by the second.

"Thank god," Sophia muttered under her breath.

" _Wait_ , what's happening? The energy, it's not working."

Just as those words left Cisco's lips, the back doors of the truck were encrusted in slivers of ice, spreading out like a fire unable to be contained. Her hands burned as they touched the terribly cold surface, and she jerked her hands back in pain.

"Cisco, it's frozen solid, what the hell," Sophia spoke, and a second later, the doors of the back of the truck came barrelling open, and the five meta-humans were set free, with Sophia standing directly in their way.

"Oh, god," She breathed out, Mark Mardon was standing in front of her, the gang behind him as he gathered a ball of lightning in his hands. "Mardon."

Mark Mardon smirked down at Sapphire, taking the element of surprise to throw the lightning bolt directly at her. She was too quick and blocked it with a large energy shield of her own. Mark jumped down and out of the truck, but before he could move further, he was hit with a wave of energy, throwing him back into the truck as he grunted, tumbling into the people behind him as they were stunned with momentary shock and pain.

"Cisco, Lisa get out of the truck," Sophia ordered as she flew backwards, and into the air, high enough that she could see them leave the truck, moving to a safe distance. She gathered a ball of energy in her hand, electrifying as it trailed down her arm, forming a large ball in her hands. She spun in the air, twirling around, and throwing it at the truck, tipping it to the side.

Behind her, the rest of the team were dealing with the fact that Mardon had controlled the weather before he had come out of the truck, sending a bout of lightning to crash into the plane sent by ARGUS, leaving their transportation burning as it barrelled through the sky, landing into a heap in the distance. Their plan was turning to shit, and fast.

Seconds later, the meta-humans emerged from the truck, letting chaos run free.

"Trip's cancelled."

Gunfire erupted, Cisco and Caitlin went, ducking for cover as they left the others to fight. Nimbus changed, forming the Mist as he flew around, moving towards Barry. Sophia took this opportunity to attack Mark who seemed to be the most dangerous out of this lot, leaving Joe to fire at the others. She threw a bolt of energy at Mark, leaving him crashing on the ground in pain for a moment.

Barry rotated his arms at an incredible speed, directing the tunnelled formations of wind at Nimbus, in an attempt to keep The Mist contained. Peek-a-boo disappeared, whilst the others were distracted in the fight, making a clean getaway.

Death-bolt continued to blast his vision of red at Joe, shattering the glass of the cop car he had used to drive there. Whilst Joe was distracted with Death-bolt, Prism decided to direct his attack on Caitlin who was sitting defenceless by Cisco and Joe, using his anger to create a distraction. Caitlin was instantly under his spell, her eyes flashing an iridescent red as she moved to yell at Cisco, hitting him with all her might.

"You locked Ronnie in the pipeline and you killed Ronnie," She yelled viciously at Cisco, her fists pounding on his chest as Cisco moved back, falling to the ground.

"Caitlin, Caitlin, _stop_!" Joe stopped firing, pulling Caitlin back, as he tried to stop her from pummelling Cisco to death.

"He killed Ronnie! He killed Ronnie!"

Barry had soon contained The Mist, bringing Nimbus back into his human form, watching as he crashed into the side of a power box, fleeing the scene when both Mark and Death-bolt attacked Barry and Sophia. Barry ran across the air-strip dodging the lightning strikes that Mardon was throwing at him.

Sophia turned to Death-bolt, matching his heat vision with her own. It was a battle of scarlet and cobalt as they continued to fight. Her eyes were painfully wide as she focused harder, throwing more energy at him than he could contain. Soon enough he collapsed under the pressure, and she stumbled back, her head light as she felt faint, and her throat sore and raw from screeching. She had never used her heat vision that extensively, not since her episode of mind control with Grodd. A moment later Leonard and Lisa had finally appeared. Leonard fired his cold gun directly at Death-bolt, melting his face off, leaving his body to crumple to the ground.

Sophia watched with wide eyes, feeling sick as the sight before her. Leonard then aimed his gun at Mardon who had been waiting for Prism to deliver the final blow to The Flash, but he too was frozen in place, as Lisa Snart held her gold gun against his head. Sophia wasn't sure if was just the lack of energy or the fact that Snart had blasted someone's face off, but she fell to the ground, her face pale as she watched the scene unfold before her, unable to move. She took in deep breaths, hoping that it would pass in a minute or two.

"How about we call tonight a tie?" Leonard spoke, and Sophia couldn't believe what was happening. Well she really could, because it was _Leonard_ , but she had seriously thought that he wouldn't have done this.

"I'd power down if you don't want me to melt your face off," Leonard directed at Prism, whose eyes were still glowing red. Prism clenched his jaw before abiding, watching Leonard carefully.

"Let's all go our separate ways. My name is Leonard Snart," He spoke eloquently, as though they were having a business meeting, and not whatever the hell this was.

"I know who you are," Mardon spoke.

"Always pleased to meet a fan." If Sophia wasn't feeling so terrible she would have gotten up and taken them all on herself. "Just remember who it was made sure you didn't get thrown on that plane bound for nowhere." _Oh she was going to remember and she was going to kick his ass._

"You're letting us go?" Mardon asked, eying up Leonard Snart. He was intrigued by the man. "Why'd you shoot that guy?" He asked.

"He owed me money," Snart said, as though it was nothing to melt a guys face off. Prism looked, shrugging his shoulders as though he accepted Snart's handling of the situation.

"What? You want a 'thank you'?" Mardon asked.

"Who doesn't like a 'thank you'?"

"Thank you," Prism spoke, causing Mardon to look over at him with an incredulous look.

"You are so very welcome."

The two Snart siblings lowered their guns, and both Prism and Weather Wizard walked away from the scene. Sophia almost started hyperventilating as she tried to push herself up off the ground, unable to stand on her own. Once the other two had left the scene, Joe and Cisco quickly rushed up to Sophia who was sitting far away from Barry who was also laying on the ground in incredible pain. Joe placed one arm under hers, Cisco grabbing the other as they hauled her up onto her feet.

"I-I have to go help, B-Barry," She managed to choke out in-between deep breaths. Her vision was fuzzy and she felt like she was going to pass out, any second now.

"You can barely stand on two feet, you can't," Joe protested.

"I swear to god, I'm going to kill Leonard Snart, if it's the last thing I do," Sophia said, her eyes rolling back as she promptly fainted in Joe's arms.

"I've got her, you go check on Barry." Joe told Cisco, lifting Sophia into his arms and taking her over to Caitlin who quickly checked her out.

Cisco looked around cautiously, before running over to Barry who was twitching on the floor in agonising pain, watching as Leonard and Lisa smugly jumped onto the motorbike.

"Barry, oh my god," Cisco knelt down next to him, placing a hand under his arm to help him sit up. Leonard revved the motorbike as Lisa waved goodbye.

"Bye, Cisco," She said with a smirk, winking as they drove off into the distance, their mission complete.

* * *

Sophia groaned as she woke up, her body aching from the battle they had just lost. The only other time she had collapsed like this from overuse of her powers, was when they were dealing with the giant and terrifying gorilla that was Grodd. She did not appreciate that her body kept shutting down on her after such intense fights. She wasn't sure why it was such a problem for her lately, especially since she had been training harder. If anything, it should have had the opposite affect.

"Ugh, I feel terrible," Sophia spoke as she sat up on the bed, Caitlin rushing over to aid her.

"You just fainted from a lack of energy. I've already given you an IV to replace all your electrolytes and fluids. You just need some rest and you'll be fine," Caitlin told her, with gloved hands as she gently pulled the cannula out of her right hand, leaving a small spot of blood from where the needle had previously been.

Sophia gave Caitlin a small smile, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Where is everyone?"

"Barry's in the training room, chatting with Joe. Cisco's just tinkering with some stuff on his computer as usual," Caitlin said. "Do you want me to call Barry?"

"No need, I'm here," Barry announced walking into the room with a smile of relief. He had been terrified once Cisco had helped him up off the ground at the air strip. He was so worried that she had been caught in the crossfire, and when she didn't wake up straight away, his nerves started to get the better of him, especially with all the talk of her future death recently, it was starting to take a toll on him when it came to Sophia's safety. He pulled her into his arms and she melted against his form, holding onto him with an iron grip.

"How are you feeling?" She asked Barry as she leaned back slightly, her eyes roaming over his tired face.

"Better than before, what about you? You out did yourself tonight," Barry said, sitting down next to her on the bed. She was still dressed in her suit, minus the cape and mask.

"I think I could use a good nights sleep…and maybe some pizza," Sophia said, her lips twitching into a lazy smile that had Barry's hear beating faster.

"When this is all over, I'm going to buy you the biggest pizza I can find," Barry told her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks Bar," She gave him a weak smile, before her face dropped. They had failed, and Leonard had double crossed them. He could tell in an instant what she was thinking and placed his hand on her cheek, forcing her to look up at him. He brushed a loose piece of hair out of her face, his thumb grazing the light bruise that was forming on the bottom of her jaw.

"You fought so brilliantly tonight. We shouldn't have trusted Leonard, but regardless, what's done is done. We did everything we could," Barry told her and she sighed, nodding as she agreed with him.

"You're right. No point in blaming ourselves," Sophia mumbled, letting out a yawn.

"You want to lay down?" Barry asked, rubbing soft circles onto her back. It had been a few hours, and he felt much better than he did than before. His enhanced speed healing was sure handy.

"No, I'm good. Eyes just hurt a little bit," She joked.

"I can imagine. It did look pretty sweet though," Barry joked and she let out a laugh. His heart skipped a beat at the melodious sound that graced his ears.

"Thanks," She whispered, nuzzling her head into his neck as he gave her a side hug. "Why are you so god damn comfortable?"

"I was born this way," Barry chuckled, enjoying the feeling of her warm breath brushing against his neck.

"Thank god."

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, relishing in the peace and comfort when an alarm suddenly blared.

"What the hell is that?" Sophia groaned. She had enough crap for one day and all she wanted to do was collapse again.

"Guys," Cisco called out from the cortex. They rushed out of the room to see what the issue was. "The Particle Accelerator is fully charged and online."

"Whatever Wells needs it for, it's ready."

Sophia looked to Barry wearily before grabbing her mask off the table it was sitting on, securing it on her face. She tied her hair up into a high pony tail, different from how she usually left it down. It was getting in the way, and if Wells was coming, then she needed to be fast and agile in her movements.

Suddenly the screen popped up with an alarm and the cameras showed the Wells Eobard Thawne, ripping off the lock that held the metal gates together in front of Star Labs, waltzing onto the premises tauntingly, obviously here to collect his prize, looking into the camera with a smirk, as though he was, daring them to come and find him.

It was time for the final show down.

"Barry, don't even think about it," Joe moved forward with wide eyes, worry laced in his voice. "You can't go out there by yourself."

"He's not going to," Sophia spoke up, strapping on her gloves. "Together?"

Barry looked into her eyes, and he felt as though he was looking into her soul. He saw a brighter, a more determined and stronger Sophia than the one standing before him. She was tired and aching from their previous battle, but in her eyes, he could see that the determination and the power still burning bright.

" _Together_."

* * *

Barry ran outside, Sophia in his arms, as he dropped her down. They stood in front of Eobard, watching him waltz over.

"Well, I heard your prison transfer didn't go so well. I'm so sorry," Eobard said, his tone taunting and sarcastic.

"All a part of your plan, I assume?" Barry asked, not bothering to throw his mask on, at least not yet.

"Actually, that didn't factor into my plan…at all, but I'm impressed you both went to such great lengths to keep those people from harm. Ever the hero, huh, Barry. Oh, and you too Sophia. Don't think I've forgotten about your heroics. Even in the future, you're still the same. _Oh_ sorry, I meant to say, you _were_ ," Eobard spoke, his last words sending a fire throughout both Sophia and Barry. She clenched her fists in her hands as she remembered the obituary column on the article that stated she was killed by the Reverse-Flash.

"You've hurt enough people."

"You're not going to hurt anyone else," Sophia said.

"I know. You see me as the villain, but, if you were to look back, look back carefully at everything I've done, every wheel I have set in motion, you would realise that I have only done what I had to do," He said, his eyes focused on Barry. "Nothing more, nothing less." As he spoke those last words, his eyes drifted over to Sophia. He was clearly making another allusion directed at her.

"And the Particle Accelerator? How does that fit into your grand plan?" Barry's voice was hard, and Sophia could see all the anger and fire he was trying to hold back.

"Well, why don't you go on inside, and let me show you," Eobard's words were soft, like he was talking to a child.

"You know, I just learned the hard way not to trust the bad guy."

"And yet…I've shown you time and time again, you can't beat me, Barry."

"It's a good thing that you're not just fighting Barry," Sophia said.

A moment later, Ronnie aka Firestorm came landing beside her, the fire still burning from his hands.

"Wow. You brought yourselves a friend. I do recall this showdown already happened, and need I remind you that you all…failed."

An arrow the shot down from the sky, hitting an empty box, and swinging down came Oliver Queen, though he was dressed darker than his usual green.

"Welcome, Mr. Queen."

"Hope we're not too late," Oliver spoke in a gruff voice.

"You're just in time," Sophia replied, a grin erupting on her face as her eyes lit up in a daring cobalt blue, darker than usual.

"I don't care how fast you are. You can't fight all four of us at the same time," Barry spoke with a smirk, throwing the hood of his suit on, yellow electricity trailing in his eyes.

"Oh, I can't? Trust me. This is gonna be fun," Eobard spoke, putting his hand out in front of him, his yellow suit that was encompassed in the ring, now erupting as he ran into it, head on at Barry, the two colliding at an earth shattering speed.

The two ran in circles, yellow and red lightning bouncing off each other as they fought relentlessly. Sapphire, Green Arrow and Firestorm all took their places, standing around them in a larger circle, ready to fire away once Barry moved out of the way.

"Barry, move," Oliver called out, waiting for Barry to move. This distracted him, giving the Reverse-Flash enough time to throw Barry up against the wired fence. Oliver fired an arrow, the tip jarring into the back of Eobard's thigh, causing him to throw Barry into the glass sign of Star Labs in anger.

Firestorm flew up into the air, burning up before he set his sights on the Reverse-Flash sending a blast of heated fire at the man in the yellow suit. On the other side, Sophia herself was firing electrified energy in one single shot at the other side of Eobard. The Reverse-Flash moved out of the way, Sophia's target lost as he rotated his arms, taking out the fire in fire-storm, sending Ronnie flying away, and Barry running after him to make sure that he didn't plummet to his death.

This left Sophia and Oliver to fight the Reverse-Flash.

Eobard ripped out the arrow from the back of his leg, holding it up, his body still phasing as he kept moving.

"Nanites, courtesy of Ray Palmer," Oliver spoke, a smirk on his lips. "They're delivering a high frequency pulse that's disabling your speed. You're not gonna be running around for quite a while."

Eobard moved to fight Oliver now hand to hand, but Sophia had another idea. Oliver glided to the side effortlessly, allowing her to swoop in, landing a punch directly to the Reverse-Flash's chest, energy sparking against his suit as he stumbled momentarily. She twisted, avoiding his punches, sending a kick to his abdomen, catching him off guard, when Oliver moved behind him, his foot meeting the back of Eobard's knee, leaving the sound of the sickening crunch of his knee.

Sophia moved back, as Oliver took over the fight, twisting Eobard's arm as he pushing him to the ground. They continued to have a three-way fight, sparring as they tried to knock him down before the Nanites wore off. Oliver finally flipped Eobard, sending him crashing into some old metal scrap that had been laying around the front yard of Star Labs.

Eobard took this opportunity to focus on the Nanites crawling around his bloodstream, and within seconds he had phased the metallic bugs out of his system, gaining back his speed, his eyes glowing an ethereal crimson that sent a wave of terror through Sophia. He picked up Oliver, flipping him over onto his back now.

"The history books say you live to be 86 years old, Mr. Queen. Well, I guess the history books are wrong," Eobard's voice was deep and dark as he spoke. Sophia took this chance to fly straight at him, knocking him off Oliver. She focused her eyes on his person, the azure laser-beams of energy shooting him straight in the chest, singeing off the material leather on his chest as he howled in pain, his voice booming out as he ran in all directions. Her eyes followed his every move, as she turned around in a circle, the beams of heat vision trailing him, burning holes into the ground viciously as she aimed for him. Eobard then ran towards her, narrowly missing her attacks as he landed a punch to her face, knocking her to the ground, leaving her struggling to stand up as she had once again drained her energy with her heat vision.

Seconds later, Barry came rushing in, tackling Eobard violently into the back of a wired fence, the Reverse-Flash bouncing back eagerly.

"That's the _spirit_. You can't stop me, Flash. And you never will."

Barry and Eobard ran up the side of Star Labs, and all around, their speed so fast that even Sophia wouldn't have been able to keep up. They bounded around until they reached the top of the building, Barry stopping in place, causing Eobard to do the same.

"Now!" Barry yelled, and with all his might, Firestorm came barrelling in, hitting the Reverse-Flash with all he had, fire burning everywhere as Eobard was sent plummeting to the ground, his body crashing into the roof of a car, leaving shattered glass everywhere. He stood up laughing manically, spitting blood from his mouth as he tried to move forward, but Sophia didn't give him a chance, sending a wave of energy at him that electrified him for a moment, shocking him like _Blackout's_ powers once would have. Oliver then took this opportunity to swing by, notching an arrow in his bow, and letting it fly, the metal tip penetrating Eobard's right shoulder, causing him to immediately collapse on the ground, floating into unconsciousness as the tranquiliser did its job.

With heavy breaths, and lazy smiles they all walked over to each other, watching the unconscious body of the Reverse-Flash. They had done it. They had taken him down. Relief didn't even begin to describe how Sophia felt.

"Thanks, fellas," Barry said with a grin as he ran over, Firestorm following him. "And my lady," Barry directed at Sophia who threw him a tired grin as he winked at her.

"No problem," Oliver said.

"Nice haircut," Sophia told Oliver.

"And I see we've abandoned our traditional green," Barry commented on Oliver's change of outfit.

"Finally someone mentioned it," Sophia laughed, wiping the stray tear that had slipped from her eye. She had hoped that they would take Eobard down, but there was always this seed of doubt in her heart that they would be powerful enough to do it.

"Trying something different," Oliver said, his lips twitching to one side to form a smirk before turning serious. "Look… I might need a favour from you."

"Wherever, whenever," Barry said firmly and Oliver nodded before shooting his grappling gun at a building in the distance, swinging away and disappearing into the darkness of the night.

"Well, now that _he_ has been sorted. I think I need a good night's sleep, and a lot of alcohol," Sophia joked, and they all let out relaxed laughs.

"I could go for a drink right about now," Firestorm said and Sophia smiled, taking Barry's hand in her own.

"I'll lead the way."

* * *

 _ **A / N**_ **\- Next week is the highly anticipated season finale, and end of this story! But don't worry, a sequel is definitely in the planning stages. But it will be a few months at least until that's posted. I've got finals/work in the next two months, and I need to focus on that rather than my writing.**

 **But that being said, the last chapter might come out a few days late, because it is still in the final stages, and I am not sure I will have time during the week to work on it, so bear with me if it's a few days late. Thank you!**

 **But I'm so glad that you've all enjoyed this so much, and are all eagerly anticipating the continuation of this story into the second season. But more details about the sequel will be clarified in the Author's note of the next chapter, so not to worry.**

 **Hope that you all enjoyed this monster of a chapter. It was so fun to write, but so much went on it was a bit crazy.**

 **Thanks for all the new favourites/follows/reviews! Nearly hit the 200 mark on follows, and I couldn't be more proud of how well this story is going. You are all amazing souls, whom without, this story would be nothing, so massive shout out to every single one of you!**

 _ **Replies:**_

 **Natalie: Love your enthusiasm for the story! Hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the rest of the series. I'll try and update the one-shot series soon with some Sophia/Barry goodness + lots of interactions with the Justice League. I have been so busy, I honestly haven't had a chance to watch episode 19 and 20 of The Flash which has made me super upset. I'm going to watch it tonight, so at least I get to enjoy two episodes. I've just been working at the hospital for the past two weeks, and I legit, have zero time for anything but work, eat and sleep, thus the reason for this coming out so late. So thank you so much for your constant reviews, they always bring a smile to my face. Xoxo**

 **Witchbaby300: You are a cutie, honestly. Thank you so much for the review, and you totally understand how I feel right now! I am lucky I've found enough time to edit this chapter today. Too much going on in here, hope it turned out alright. YES, that heat vision tho! Hope you also enjoyed its double appearance tonight. I loved writing it, and just imagining it is AMAZING. She's basically converted her energy into heat vision/lasers similar to that of Superman/Supergirl. I didn't really address it, it was just sort of an idea that came to mind. I think that her powers just suit her personality… especially the whole energy shields. That's like one of the first things that she was able to do with her abilities, manipulate the energy to form a protective shield to help others, and shield them from danger. I think that matches well with her personality, and even the fact that she is a nurse. I thought it just fit perfectly with her character…and the flying was just because it was ridiculously cool, and who wouldn't want that? I actually died of laughter when I saw you wrote that you paused Scandal to read this. God bless you. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one, and sorry for the super long reply. x**

 **RHatch89: Thank you! Hope you thought this was extra-awesome, especially since we are nearing the FINALE.**

 **CRAZYJAMES1: All aboard the Sarry ship! Glad that you enjoyed it, and here is a new chapter to go crazy over. X**

 **Yen: Thank you so much! Yeah, this one was super long as well. My fingers just can't stop once they hit the keyboard, and then I end up with this. That's probably going to be my downfall for the sequel because I haven't even written the first chapter of it, and ya'll expecting the same quality as this. Eep. Hopefully it'll turn out alright in the end. Thank you so much again for the motivation and all the love. One more chapter to go and it's done!**

 **Turtlekier42: I love how your review made my day, and my update made yours. The world works in mysterious ways. As always, a pleasure to hear from you! And yes, don't worry the torture isn't over yet. Next chapter will have you all begging for more, which is hilarious because it's the finale, and I am a cruel human being, so prepare yourselves, I'm warning you all now. :P Thanks for the review love. X**

 **AmyRoxx123: Thank you so much! Loved seeing your review. I guess you'll have to wait and see. To be quite honest, I'm stuck between making her a villain or something else entirely. It's certainly an interesting notion to play around with because I can pretty much make Earth 2 Sophia into anyone… the possibilities are endless. But I'd love to hear what you guys think, or would like to possibly see… and I'll see what I can do! Season 2 will be posted as a completely new story, aka the sequel to this. Just because, by the end of this one, Fight or Flight will be about 260-270k and I would prefer to keep it separate. But more information about the sequel will come with the next chapters update.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale. x**


	28. Fast Enough

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

It was nearing midday when she woke.

The sun was nearing its peak, shining brightly through the window, and crawling out of her curtains, rousing Sophia from her slumber.

Her bones ached, her stomach rumbled, desperate for food and her head was pounding. The three glasses of expensive scotch she had downed last night with Ronnie, Joe and Barry probably didn't help either. Not to mention she felt like her eyes were going to fall out of her head. She really needed to practice control over her heat vision before she used it again. But she figured yesterday was an emergency, and she didn't really have a choice. She knew that in order to succeed she had to give it her all, and she certainly did.

She took a deep breath, rolling over in bed, expecting to see her beloved, only to be met with an empty spot. She frowned, having sworn they had fallen asleep together last night, limbs entangled and all. She remembered holding him in her arms, rubbing soothing circles on his back as he wept. All his emotions had finally bubbled over. He didn't know what to feel. After suffering the trauma of his mother's death, he had finally captured her killer. It broke her heart to see him breakdown like that, but he assured her that he was just relieved that things were finally moving in the right direction. So she wiped his tears away with her thumb, and kissed him sweetly before they settled into bed, snuggling up as they held onto each other, drifting off into a well-deserved sleep.

Though they had succeeded in capturing the Reverse-Flash, Sophia knew that things were far from over. Eobard was currently their new resident in the Particle Accelerator prisons, in fact, he was the only prisoner left after yesterday's disaster. Sophia wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this all was. Just over a year ago she was a normal girl living in Central City, working as a nurse and helping others. She went out for coffee dates with her best friend, continued to live the single life and was probably the most ordinary person you would have ever met.

But then the particle accelerator exploded, and everything changed. She met the team at Star Labs, becoming fast friends with them all. She had formed a relationship with Barry, now heavily involved in a romance with him that she knew she would never find with anyone else in any lifetime, and the most insane of all, she had superpowers. She could fly, she could control and bend energy to her will. It was a memorable life to say the least, but it was one that she had not expected. Regardless of all the pain that came with it, she was glad that she had gained another family through this experience. She wasn't sure where she would be without the new friends she had found in Cisco and Caitlin, not to mention Iris, Joe, Eddie and Ronnie… and then it came back to Barry who she was deeply in love with. She had never loved anyone like the way she loved Barry, and she was afraid of losing him to the dramas that wrought their lives.

She urged herself to move, and with one more ounce of encouragement from herself, she finally got up. She made sure to stretch her arms out over her head, wincing as she did so, but relishing in the crack of her bones, and the stretch of her muscles. She yawned loudly, and Chewie came bounding into her bedroom, jumping on top of her. She let out a lazy smile as she cuddled her cat, scratching Chewie behind the ears before setting her down and moving to the bathroom to wash her face. She figured that a nice refreshing shower would leave her feeling more awake and hopefully ready to tackle the day ahead.

* * *

Sophia walked through the halls of Star Labs, her converse sneakers squeaking against the tiled floors, suddenly feeling colder than usual. A chill ran down her spine as she walked through the dimly lit hallway alone, stopping in her tracks as she looked at the wall that lead to the secret lair of Eobard Thawne.

She stared at the wall for a moment, deciding whether she should just walk away, or go inside. Her hand made the choice for her when she held it in front of the entrance, the wall shimmering away and now opening allowing her to walk in. Tentatively she took a step forward, squinting as the bright light shot into her eyes. She stood in front of the interface, reading the article. She didn't know how long she had been standing there for, but clearly it had been a long time because Barry had turned up.

She felt numb to her core, and it was only when he arrived that it all came crashing down on her, like a tidal wave drowning her very core. Her hands were shaking as she read the line again before her eyes with blurry vision.

"Sophia," Barry called her name, but she didn't register it, her eyes were still glued to the article, reading her name over and over. _Sophia L. Allen._ Last time she hadn't been able to read what was written under her name in the obituary column, but now she had seen it, and she regretted walking in here in the first place. Gideon had zoomed in on the article, showing her a piece that no one had found before, and it made her visibly blanch at the sight. Her hands were now curled up so tight that her fingers dug into her skin, sure to leave red marks if she ever released it. She was sure that with a little bit more pressure she would draw blood.

"Soph," Barry placed his hand on her shoulder this time, rousing her from her reverie.

She turned her head slightly and her knees buckled at the sight of him, and she collapsed into his arms, feeling terribly faint, her face void of all colour. She looked she had just seen a ghost. Barry brought his hand up behind her back to support her, holding her in his arms as his eyes darted across her face in panic.

"Sophia, what's wrong?" Barry asked urgently, holding her up as he took at a look at her pale face.

"Oh my god," She breathed out, shaking her head as the tears started to build up. "Oh god, _Barry_ , he killed me."

" _Soph_ , I know, I'm so sorry," Barry placed his hand on her face, trying to coerce her to look at him. His heart broke into pieces at the sight of her distress, but he was unsure of why she was breaking down like this now. They had discussed it before, he promised her that he would protect her, and they had captured Eobard, he wasn't going to hurt her now. He thought that she had come to terms with it, but her current display of emotions assured him that something was wrong. He hadn't seen her this upset for a long time. She seemed to pick up on his confusion and she shook her head once more, the tears now streaming down her cheeks, enough so that she could taste the saltiness of them as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Barry, you don't understand, h-he didn't just kill me," She hiccupped, trying to control her breathing so she could explain. She didn't know why she was getting so emotional, after all, they weren't even married yet, but just the mere thought, the knowledge of it happening felt like a thousand knifes to the chest. "H-he killed me and I was _pregnant_ ," She managed to choke out, burying her face in his chest, feeling him freeze underneath her fingertips.

" _What_?" He managed to croak out, unsure he heard her properly. His head snapped up to the article, his eyes darting over the words so fast that he was sure he read them wrong.

Gideon then took this opportunity to take over, obviously seeing the visible distress it had caused Sophia.

"Sophia L. Allen died on the 19th of April, 2024. Upon her death, an autopsy was completed, and it was discovered that she was 9 weeks pregnant," Gideon spoke, and Barry felt nauseous at the revelation.

"No, no," Barry breathed out with wide eyes, his heart racing faster as time went on.

"He took so much from us already, and n-now we know what else he took," Sophia said, her words muffled by his shirt. She tried to calm herself down, and take deep breaths, controlling her emotions. She was sure that she hadn't felt heart ache like this since her mother died. She didn't know why she felt this way considering it was over a decade into the future, but it hit her like a truck. They both sat there on the floor, frozen, unsure of what to do next, what to even say.

"Sophia, look at me." Barry finally found his words, and he placed his fingers underneath her chin, guiding her head to look up at him. "I swear on my life, I'll protect you, he's never going to hurt you or-," He was about to say the word family, but his voice choked on the word and he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "He's never going to hurt you ever again," He told her firmly, his words filled with such conviction and love that she couldn't think of a reply. She just nodded, and he leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.

"I know that it's hard, and believe me I can feel your pain, but we need to stay strong," He whispered, rubbing soft circles onto her cheek, as he calmed her down. "This timeline isn't going to happen, we have the power to change the future, and we've already started."

"I'm sorry, I just…"

"Don't apologise."

"I'm so angry that he had this power over us," Sophia said through gritted teeth. She hated feeling weak, and if there was one thing that the Reverse-Flash had perfected, it was making her feel weak.

"I know."

"I love you, Barry," Sophia whispered, pressing a soft kiss against his lips.

"And I love you, with all my heart. We're going to make it through this, no matter what happens, the both of us, we're going to be okay," Barry told her and she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding onto him tight, praying for this nightmare to be over.

* * *

"What? No Big Belly Burger?" Eobard asked with fake shock as Barry walked in, standing on the opposite side of his prison cell. Barry threw Eobard an unimpressed look. After the revelation this morning his anger towards Eobard had grown tenfold.

Sophia sat in the cortex, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched the video feed of the situation playing out. By her side was Cisco and Caitlin. She was sure that Iris, Eddie and Joe would show up sooner or later, probably dragging Stein and Ronnie with them.

But right now, her eyes were focused on the monstrosity that was Eobard Thawne. She never thought in all her life that she could possibly hate someone with so much passion, but Eobard Thawne won the special award for this. She had always thought of herself as someone full of compassion, understanding and forgiveness. But somehow it seemed that when it came to the Reverse-Flash, she just wasn't capable of feeling those things.

"It's one of the few perks of living in this time. We're out of cows where I come from," Eobard spoke, rattling on about shit that no one cared about. "You don't care about that. You have questions. Go ahead."

"Not sure where to start… _Thawne_ ," Barry spoke, his arms resting by his side as he tried to maintain a composed stance, but it was easy to see the tension on his face. "That is your real name…Eobard Thawne."

"Since the day I was born," Eobard quipped.

"And when was that?"

"136 years from now, that's now what you want to know," Eobard answered. He could see it in Barry's eyes, he knew what he really wanted to ask. When he received silence in response, he took a step forward, looking Barry straight in the eye.

"Go ahead, Barry. _Ask it_." The way the words hung in the air, it almost seemed like a taunt. Like he was daring Barry to voice the question he was so desperate to hear answered.

"Why did you kill my mother?" Barry kept his eyes locked on Eobard. He wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"Because I hate you," He replied simply. "Not you now. You years from now."

"In the future."

"In _a_ future. Yes. We're enemies, rivals, opposites, _reverses_ of one another."

"Is that why you also killed my _wife_?" Barry shot at Eobard, crossing his arms with a terse expression.

Sophia tensed as she watched the scene unfold. Caitlin and Cisco avoided eye contact with her and for that she was thankful. It was already weird enough that this was all happening, and she couldn't bear to deal with their looks of pity. Not right now. She could tell that after their discovery this morning, that Barry was hurt by the future events even more so than he was before. She couldn't blame him, after all, she hadn't taken it easy either.

"Well _that one_ was an accident. She just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time," Eobard spoke. "I am truly sorry about killing her. Sophia was always a pleasure to have around, she didn't deserve to die."

"But you killed her anyway." Barry wanted to cringe at how bitter his voice was, but he didn't have it in him to care.

"I needed to complete my plan. I wasn't going to let anyone get in the way."

" _Why_? Why were we enemies? Why did you hate me so much that you did this?"

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't…matter anymore," Eobard said, shaking his head. "What matters it that neither of us was strong enough to defeat the other. Until I learned your secret. I learned your name. Barry Allen. And finally, I knew how to defeat you once and for all. Travel back in time, kill you as a child. Wipe you from the face of the earth," Eobard rambled, explaining his disgusting plan to kill him. "But then _you_ , future you, that is, followed me back and we fought. We both landed some pretty solid shots. And then you, future you, got your younger self out of there."

Sophia, Cisco and Caitlin leaned forward in anticipation, so caught up in listening to the story that they hadn't realised that Joe had walked into the room, taking a seat next to them and watching as well.

"I was so mad. But then I thought…what if you were to suffer a tragedy? Not in your older timeline, but as a child. What if you were to suffer something so horrible, so traumatic that your child self should never recover? Then you would not become The Flash," Eobard spoke, a crazy glint in his eye. "And so I stabbed your mother in the heart, and I was free. Finally able to return to a future without The Flash, only to realise that in travelling back, I'd lost my way home. Lost my ability to harness the speed force. And without it, I was stuck here. Stranded in this time, unable to return to my own. And the only way back was _The Flash,_ " Eobard spoke, spitting the last few words out like they were venom in his mouth. "But The Flash was gone, and so I created him."

"Why train me?" Barry asked, stepping closer. "Why help me save so many people?" Barry still didn't understand why Eobard would have done this.

"Because I needed you to get fast. Fast enough to rupture the space-time barrier and create a stable wormhole through which I could return home."

"Why would I ever do that?"

"Because… Barry Allen, if you give me what I want, I'm gonna give you what you want," Eobard spoke and Barry's brows furrowed, unsure of what he could be referring to. "You can go back and save your mother. You can prevent your father from going to prison. You can reunite the Allen family."

" _No_ , no, I don't believe you. I want to kill you right now," Barry shouted at Eobard in anger. He wanted to kill him for what he did to his mother. For what he was going to do to Sophia in the future. For what he was going to do to _his_ family in the future.

"I know that rage. I used to feel that rage every time I looked upon you. And now, somehow, I know what Joe and Henry feel when they look on you with pride. With… _love_ ," Eobard trailed off. He had spent so much time watching Barry grow from a child into a man, and into The Flash, that he even admired the young boy for his courage and his belief in others.

"No, no. Don't you _ever_ say that to me!" The pure anger that Barry felt raging throughout his body was unlike anything he had felt before and he took a step back, clenching his fist as he tried to compose himself.

"I know you're upset, but I'm giving you a chance. I'm giving you a chance to undo all the evil I've done. _Don't you want that chance_?" Eobard asked.

Sophia felt physically sick and as she turned around in the hopes of fleeing from the room, she noticed that it wasn't just Joe who had turned up out of the blue. Ronnie and Professor Stein were also in the room. She threw them a fake smile before walking out of the room, wanting to get some fresh air to clear her head before she met Barry back down in the cortex, ready to discuss what the hell was going on.

* * *

"The rare opportunity to go back in time and right a wrong and save your mother's life…quite the paradox Harrison has presented you with, Mr. Allen," Professor Stein commented.

"The chance to be with someone you love? Seems pretty cut and dry to me," Caitlin spoke up, offering Barry a smile of encouragement. She understood that it was a hard decision and she wanted to try and help Barry as much as she could.

"At first blush, Dr. Snow, it would appear so, but this gift has unparalleled risk," Stein warned. "Barry, the night your mother died, the night you saved yourself from being killed, that event altered the timeline you were already on and changed the course of history."

"So what you're saying is we're living in a parallel universe?" Cisco asked.

"Just like when I time travelled before," Barry breathed out in realisation. He hadn't thought about it like that before.

"But he only changed one day that time," Sophia pointed out, her voice soft as ever, drawing Barry's attention. He wanted to speak to her in private, and hoped that he could drag her out of here after this discussion was over. His mind was racing with thoughts and he just wanted her opinion, if not that just for her to hold him, to tell him that no matter what he chose to do, that things would be okay.

"Exactly. Now imagine 15 years of compounded experiences. One different decision, no matter how big or small, impacts everything that follows. Moments upon moments, choices upon choices. No relationships, nothing would be as it is today, and you'd never know the difference because you'd never remember any of it," Stein concluded, leaving worried looks on the faces of those in the room.

"So if I go back and save my mom, my dad doesn't go to prison. I never live with Joe and Iris," Barry frowned. "I never meet _you_ ," Barry directed at Sophia who looked up at him with sorrowful eyes, before glancing away and back to Stein.

"You might never meet me. Or Caitlin or Ronnie," Cisco said, his expression dropping.

"Truth is, there's no real way of knowing what your life will be."

"There's no choice here, Barry. You have to do this. You gotta change the past."

"So what…what, that's it? You think I should just do it?"

"Yeah, I do," Joe said adamantly.

"Which means I will never come to live with you, and… you're okay with that?" Barry asked, looking at Joe with uncertainty.

"Barry, you get the chance to grow up with both parents. You don't have to grow up without a mother."

"What about growing up without a father?" Barry countered, biting down on the inside of his cheek as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

"You will have a father…your real father," Joe said, trying to stay strong and give him a smile, but it was easy to see the sadness beneath his façade. "Wells has messed with our lives long enough. This is why you became The Flash, Barry. To put things right. You saved a lot of people's lives this past year. Now it's time to save yours," Joe said, walking out of the cortex.

"Sophia," Barry called her name and she looked up from where she was previously staring off. "What do you think?" The others took this as their cue to leave the room, and they slowly dissipated, leaving only Barry and Sophia there. She stood up from her seat, walking over to him and taking his hands in her own, intertwining them before looking up at him, putting on the bravest face that she could muster.

"I think that," She took a deep breath. "You should do it."

"You know this means we might never have met each other," Barry said, staring at her with a burning intensity. "We might never be together." He didn't want to lose her, as much as he wanted to save his mother's life, and fix his fathers.

"I'd like to think that we're lucky enough that the universe would put things back into place," She said, this time giving him a real smile, full of love and hope. She gazed at him with adoring eyes, placing his hands in her own, taking comfort in the warmth he radiated.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter. If someone had offered me the chance to go back in time and to save my mother, so I didn't have to grow up without her, I would take it in a heartbeat," Sophia told him with the most earnest expression she could muster. " _But_ , in saying that. This is your decision. You need to decide, no one else. If you want this, then do it. Do it for yourself, for your family. No one else."

He nodded, and she placed a hand on his cheek, both of them closing their eyes as they stood there, holding each other, and praying that whatever happened next, they would have each other to come back to in the end. Because if there was one thing Barry knew, it was that he couldn't live without her.

* * *

The door buzzed as Barry's ID scanned, allowing him to push open the heavy metal barrier and walk into the visitor room. He had too much on his mind, and before he decided anything he needed to speak with his father.

Nervous, but excited, he took a seat across from Henry, giving him a smile. He hadn't been to visit his father in at least the last two weeks, not having a chance with all the drama that had been going on. He greeted his father with a smile, placing his hand against the glass, Henry doing the same on the opposite side. He wanted nothing more than to just hold his father in his arms, wrapping him in a tight hug, but he would have to settle with just words for now. He hoped that once this was over, once he had fixed things, that he would be able to get his wish.

"Dad, look. I know this sounds crazy," Barry finished after explaining what the situation was. His father had stayed silent for most of it, just staring at Barry with a bewildered look.

Henry couldn't believe that this was even possible, let alone that there was a possibility that his wife could be saved, and a universe where he wouldn't be in prison. But then as he thought about it, he knew that things happened for a reason. Though this tragic had torn apart their family, he knew that Barry had grown up with Joe and Iris who loved him as their own family. He also knew that Barry had grown into a strong young man, and that he had found friends for life at Star Labs, not to mention the fact that he had found love with Sophia. And if what Barry was saying was true, that meant that was all put in jeopardy if he went back in time.

"I think we're way part crazy, slugger," Henry commented, holding the phone to the side of his head with an iron grip. "Look, you're fast, I get it. But turning back time…"

"No, I wouldn't be turning back time." Barry shook his head. "I would be… going back to that night to save her."

"And what does Joe think about all this?" Henry asked, and Barry chuckled at his father's words.

"He thinks I should do it," Barry said.

"No," Henry said adamantly. "You can't." He didn't want his son to wreck everything in his future, for something that had happened in the past. He knew that if Nora was here, she wouldn't want him to sacrifice every piece of happiness he had built just to save her life.

"Dad…" Barry's face dropped, and he ran a hand through his hair to try and calm his nerves. "I can make it so that night will never have happened. _We'll be a family again_." He could hear the strain in his voice and he was sure that any longer and tears would start pouring down his face.

"We are a family," Henry told Barry, moving and placing his hand against the glass once more. He looked at his son with sorrow, wanting nothing more than to just bring him into his arms and hold onto him tight.

"Not like this. Not without mom," Barry choked out, a few stray tears escaping his eyes. He wiped at them furiously, dragging a hand down his face as he tried to remain composed. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes watery as his dad looked at him with a sorrowful expression.

"Barry, there's a natural order to things, okay? Things happen the way they do. We may not know why at the time, but there must always be a reason," Henry explained, his voice soft. "Now, I believe that. _I've had to believe it_."

"I…I can save mom."

"At what cost?"

"You said time would change? What if it changes you?"

"I don't care," Barry threw out.

"I do," Henry said firmly. "I am in awe of the remarkable man that you are becoming…all the things you've achieved, and not just as The Flash," Henry whispered. "But _you_ , Barry. Your honesty, your heart. You were always a hero. And your mom would be just as proud," Henry took a breath, his eyes tearing up as he thought about Nora. "And if she had a say in this, if she thought for one second that you going back to save her would mean you losing what makes you so special, she would never want that."

Tears were streaming down both of their faces, cheeks wet and eyes tinted red.

"Barry, what I hope for you, maybe the greatest thing that a father can hope for his son is that one day, _you_ will become a father yourself. And then you will know, how much I truly love you."

* * *

Barry was walking through a local park, a few blocks away from the West household. He called Sophia and asked for her to meet him there. He was coming to a decision, but he needed someone to vent to. He knew that she had told him previously that it was a decision that he had to come to on his own, but after seeking advice from both herself and Joe, and then his father, he was still at a crossroads with his choice. His father's words replayed in his head and as much as he wanted to take his advice, and to not do this, there was a part of him that just couldn't accept that there was nothing he could do.

He wanted nothing more in this world than to see his mother alive again. To see her smile, to have her hold him in his arms like when he was a little boy. He wanted to have a family again. Every day that went on his hear ached for his mother, it always would. But now he had the chance to change that. To make things better. He would save his mother, prevent his father from going to prison. He would give that little boy who got bullied at school his family back. He would give him a normal life.

But with that came a price.

He would never live with Joe and Iris. They would never be his family, they would only be mere acquaintances of his family.

The likelihood of meeting Cisco and Caitlin would be very low considering the fact that their fields were on opposite ends of the spectrum. He wouldn't spend every day working with them as a team, or laughing with them as friends, or bonding over lame jokes and late night big belly burger orders. He would lose the funny friend and supportive brother he had in Cisco, and he would lose the intelligent and caring friend he had in Caitlin.

And finally, he would lose Sophia.

She would probably still be working at Central City hospital as a nurse. He might bump into her on the road, or whilst she was getting a coffee at Jitters. But she would be a stranger to him. That's all they would ever be in that life. There would be no connection, no need for their lives to intertwine. He would most likely lose her, the one person he loved more than anything in this world. The person that would eventually become his wife… the mother of his child. He would risk losing her all together.

"Barry," Sophia's voice called out as she spotted him walking in the park. He snapped out of his thoughts as his eyes travelled towards her, his body gravitating towards her voice. He let out a small sigh as he took in the sight of her.

She was dressed in what could possibly be the simplest thing ever. Her favourite jeans and a graphic tee with a jacket on top to keep her protected from the chilly winds that hung in the air. But to him, she looked absolutely breathtaking. As he stared at her, watching her approach him, coming closer and closer, his father's words rang out in his head, like a reminder, like a warning that he shouldn't do anything to risk losing her, losing this love he had with her.

But there was a small part of his heart that he couldn't deny pleasing, and he knew that he wanted to see his mother again. He wanted her in his life. It was the right thing to do.

"Soph," Barry greeted, placing a kiss on her temple as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

"How are you feeling?" Sophia asked, looking up at him as he brushed a few curls out of her face, his fingers lingering against her cheek in a way that made her heart flutter in her chest.

"Stressed. Confused… I-I don't know what to do. I mean, I know that I want to save my mom, but I don't know if it's the right thing to do in this situation," Barry spoke.

"Talk to me about it? I'm a great listener," Sophia said, offering a grin as he took her hand in his own.

He spoke for a good twenty minutes, going over all the pro's and con's of the situation. He wanted to make sure that he looked at every aspect of the plan if he was to go through with it. Sophia listened carefully and silently, her heart aching in her chest. She knew that he wanted to be with his mother, but she also knew that she was selfish. She wanted him to stay here with her, to be with her. There was a high chance they would lose each other if Barry went through with it. But even though Sophia's inner most thoughts were selfish, her nature was selfless. She knew that if the same thing had happened with her, Barry would support her, he would encourage her to save her mother, to grow up with both parents, and not have to suffer such pain at such a young and tender age.

"What do you think I should do?" Barry couldn't help himself. He needed to know what she thought. He watched her, noticing the conflict on her face as she tried to come up with a reply.

"I can't tell you what to choose. I can only support you. So whatever you choose, whether you go back to save her, or you stay here, I will be by your side," Sophia told him. "I think you should do what's in your heart Barry. Stop thinking about what I would do, or what Joe would do, or what your father would do. Do what you need for yourself." She knew she had already told him to do this, to follow his heart, but she could see in his soft green eyes that he was waging a war inside as he tried to decide.

* * *

"Ah! Well, if it makes you feel any better, it took you a whole hour longer to decide than I thought it would," Eobard laughed, happily accepting the big belly burger that was sent through the little pigeon hole and into his prison cell.

"So how does this work? Your grand plan?" Barry asked, arms crossed and his face stern.

"Well, it's really not that grand at all, Barry. In fact, it's rather simple. We use the Particle Accelerator," Eobard started, but was cut off by Barry's fake laughter.

"The Particle Accelerator. The last time that happened, you caused an explosion that hurt a lot of people," Barry pointed out. He wasn't going to recreate the event to only make more meta-humans.

"This time, the accelerator will operate exactly the way it was designed to. Except, instead of two particles moving in opposite directions, colliding at the speed of light in the inner ring, we're only going to inject one particle into the accelerator."

"And I'm what it collides with," Barry concluded with pursed lips.

"And if you can go fast enough, Barry, if you can hit that particle with enough speed, you will punch a hole right through the fabric of reality," Eobard explained, using hand gestures and his closed fist to represent what would happen. "And you will create a portal connecting this time to infinite times. A wormhole. Through which one might travel back to the past, say, to the night your mother died or forward to the future, to, say, my time," Eobard finished with a smile, happy that he was moving closer towards his goal.

"You said _if_ I run fast enough. What happens if I don't?" Barry inquired.

"If you don't achieve the desired velocity barrier, you'll die."

Sophia stood in front of the screen, watching the trial that Cisco had created on his computer as a visual of what it would look like. They would release the particle into the accelerator and Barry would have to run faster than he had ever before in an attempt to collide with it and create the wormhole.

As far as Sophia could tell, Barry had everything to lose, and Wells had everything to gain. She didn't exactly like the plan, but she told Barry she would be by his side to support him no matter what. And that meant, late nights at Star Labs with the rest of the team to decipher what they were going to do about it all.

"According to Wells calculations, Barry super-speeds inside the accelerator ring. Once Barry reaches optimum speed, we then launch a hydrogen proton into the accelerator. Once the collision happens, a wormhole forms, opening a gateway into time itself. It is at that moment I plan on shouting something along the lines of 'Eureka' or possibly 'Excelsior'," Professor Stein said, eliciting a light laugh from Sophia.

"I'm uncommitted."

"What do you think?"

"I mean, on the one hand, it does make a kind of sense. On the other hand, why? Why would you ever consider doing this?" Cisco asked, looking at his friend with sorrowful eyes.

"You know why," Barry replied simply.

"So, for this to actually work, how fast would Barry have to go?"

"By my estimates, Mach Two at a minimum," Professor Stein predicted, causing Sophia to groan aloud.

"You've never gone that fast," Sophia said to Barry, biting down on her lip in worry. Barry took his hand in her own, rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand, as though to assure her that everything would be fine.

"So what happens if Barry doesn't reach that speed?" Joe asked. "I mean, I'm imagining a bug hitting a windshield. How far off am I?"

"Not very far, I'm afraid."

"Let me worry about how fast I have to go," Barry told everyone in the room. He was fairly certain that with the right motivation, he would be able to get it done. "We're gonna need something else too."

"Really? And what's that? Cause I don't know about you guys, but I'm not at all interested in helping you get yourself killed," Cisco said bitterly, looking over at Sophia with pleading eyes. She shook her head and avoided his gaze. They had already discussed this conversation this morning, and Sophia had made it clear that whatever Barry chose, she would help him. If he needed to do this, then she would rather help him get the best possible result, than sit back and set him up for failure.

"I need you to build a time machine." As Barry spoke the words, a grin appeared on his face, knowing that Cisco would never turn it down.

"Go on," Cisco said meekly.

"So, if Wells is as fast as you, what's he need the time machine for?"

"Apparently he lost his speed when he killed my mom. He gets it back sometimes but only in spurts. He can't fully control it," Barry explained.

"So I was right about the wheelchair. He was using it to charge himself." Barry nodded, confirming Cisco's theory.

"So after I open the wormhole, he's gonna need the ship to travel back to the future," Barry said. "He's been squirreling away the parts." Barry ran out of the room, to pick up a piece and then back, wind blowing everyone's hair around. Sophia sighed, patting it down as best as she could when Barry returned back to her side.

"Now we just need to put it together," Ronnie concluded with a nod, taking the tile from Barry to inspect it. "Piece of cake."

"Ronnie, I love you, but this is a time machine, not a bookcase from IKEA," Cisco quipped with a grin, which morphed into a frown once he looked at the material. "We got a problem. These tiles…they're made of tungsten."

"Well, tungsten does have the highest melting point of any other element," Professor Stein added.

"Yeah, but the dust it generates is flammable. The pressure exerted from the wormhole…"

'Yeah, yeah," Barry sighed. "It could cause a hole to be melted in the exterior."

"It could explode," Ronnie said, scratching the side of his head in thought.

"Any ideas?" Cisco asked and when he was met with blank glances, he exhaled. "Let me ask Dr. Evil. Which used to be a name that made me smile."

"I'll come with you," Sophia said, and Barry shot her a weary look but she gave him a small smile, silently telling him that she would be fine. Before she left he moved forward quickly, placing a chaste kiss on her lips, leaving them tingling as she walked away, now taking the shape of a small smile, giving her a bit more courage as he went into the devils lair.

Cisco and Sophia were silent as they walked down the halls towards the Particle Accelerator. This would be the first time that either of them had confronted Wells in person since his capture. She wasn't sure if she was ready to do it yet, but with Cisco by her side, she wasn't as scared. Plus, she knew it would happen eventually, and she would rather get any issues out now than later when they were busy trying to save the world.

Sophia was silent as Eobard greeted them upon their arrival. He watched her with dark and calculating eyes. She simply stared back at him with a fearless expression. She wouldn't actively seek out conversation with him, but she wasn't going to cower in his presence either. Her fear and despair from this morning had quickly morphed into a feeling of anger and vengeance.

"Something on your mind Cisco?" Eobard asked, turning to look at Cisco who had suddenly gone quiet after discussing some of the details for the materials they would require to build and create the time machine that would be sending him back to the future.

"How did you fit your Reverse-Flash suit into that little ring?" Cisco asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Is it some sort of compressed micro-tech?" He then realised his mistake, he was getting personal with Eobard, and that was the last thing he wanted. "Or actually, forget it. I don't care… _maybe a little._ "

Sophia would have had the urge to laugh if this was a different situation.

"Ronnie's right. I should have accounted for the temporal shearing," Eobard replied, ignoring Cisco's original question. That was one secret he didn't want to give away just yet.

"Glad we're still good for something," Cisco muttered under his breath sending a look Sophia's way. She raised her brows, shrugging her shoulders. She understood the shitty situation they were stuck in, and she could empathise with Cisco.

Wells wasn't only a mentor to Barry. He was her mentor too. He guided her when no one else could, he helped her gain control over her abilities so she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone else. It was him, and him alone that allowed her to progress on to the next stage and advancement of her powers, and that fact made her want to vomit. Her right hand curled into a fist and she hit it by her side, ashamed of the control Eobard had over her emotions.

"I never underestimated your contribution, Cisco. Or Ronnie's," Eobard said. "As a matter of fact, do you know how many times I wished you were there with me as I rebuilt the accelerator? It would have been a lot more fun."

"Yeah?" Cisco said, and for a moment Sophia thought he was going to cave, that he was going to get emotional, but he came back as always and she wore a proud smile. "Well, doesn't change the fact that your nifty little Time Sphere…"

"Is that what you're calling it?"

"Whatever it's called. It's gonna blow."

"Not if you cement the tiles with cobalt resin.

"I can help with that," Sophia threw in, speaking for the first time since she arrived. "I've been playing around with metals and my energy. I'll be able to fuse the materials together to form a strong barrier. It'll prevent degradation in conditions of extreme heat. It won't blow up."

"Okay, we'll try that," Cisco said, sending a silent thanks to Sophia.

"Ever so impressive, Sophia. You never fail to surprise me," Eobard said, looking at her with what one might call admiration, but she knew better. He received only silence and glaring in response and he let out a hearty sigh. "That's it? That's all?"

"Well, what do you want me to say? What do you want either of us to say to you?" Cisco asked, taking a step forward.

"I thought that of anyone, you'd be a little more understanding of my predicament," Eobard said. "I don't belong here. These barbaric times. It's like living amongst the dead."

"Is that what you told yourself when you killed me?"

" _What_? What did you say?" Eobard's voice was harsh this time, and he took a menacing step forward, his face closer to the glass than before.

"It was an alternative timeline. One that Barry reset. But I never forgot it. It just kept coming back to me. And I can still picture the way you looked at me when you called me a son and you crushed my heart with your fist, and that was before I watched you murder Sophia with my own eyes the very same way."

"Cisco…" Eobard exhaled, not having expected to hear that from him. " _I'm sorry_." Eobard then continued with some bullshit excuse, and an apology. He then made a reference to how he had created Cisco, making him the man he was today, and Sophia wasn't just going to stand here and listen to the crap rush out of his mouth. Her blood was boiling, and she wanted him to know their pain.

"You don't deserve forgiveness Thawne," Sophia spoke up. "You were a killer before you came to this time. You're the one who's barbaric."

"Still bitter as ever I see."

"When I found out that you killed me in the future, I was terrified. I knew the day I died, and by your hand it seemed," Sophia spoke, her feet dragging her forward, a menacing look on her face. " _But_ when I saw that I was _pregnant_ and you killed me, the terror and the pain ebbed away after a while and all I was left with was fury," Sophia's words shocked Eobard but he remained silent, listening to her carefully, noting the fire in her eyes as she spat her words at him. "You're lucky that Barry agreed to this, otherwise you wouldn't even be a prisoner here. I would have killed you with my own bare hands for all the pain and destruction you've caused," Sophia snarled, her eyes unwillingly glowing their terrifying cobalt, deep flecks of black sparking in her eyes out of rage.

Sophia didn't give Eobard a chance to reply, and she would have stayed there to revel in the gobsmacked expression on his face, but she knew better. They got what they came for. She latched her hand onto Cisco's wrist, and dragged them out of the room, avoiding his worried gaze. She blinked, her eyes returning to their normal colour, and continued to move down the hall when Cisco tugged on her wrist.

"What did you mean you were _pregnant_?!" Cisco exclaimed, causing Sophia to pause in her steps, bringing a hand to her forehead as she tried to gather her thoughts for a second. She swiftly turned around facing Cisco.

"Yesterday morning I went into the secret lair again, to look at the article that Gideon showed us. I don't know why I went back in there but something just felt… _wrong_. Like I had missed something. When I checked it again, Gideon showed me the rest of the section underneath my name. It said that after they had done the autopsy, they found out that I was nine weeks pregnant when the Reverse-Flash killed me," Sophia said to Cisco, surprising herself as she maintained composure. At least she thought she did. She could feel the small tears roll down her cheek and she wiped them away, sniffing lightly.

Cisco was silent for a moment before he took a step forward, wrapping Sophia in a tight hug, and at the contact, she broke down, letting the strangled sobs out. She hated herself at this point in time. She had promised herself that she wouldn't cry. She had spoken to Barry about it, she thought that she had gotten it out of her system. But after speaking to Eobard again in person, knowing that he was the one that killed her, that he had killed the life growing inside of her was just too much. She was surprised that she hadn't cracked sooner today, but she was glad that Cisco was here for her and that they were in private.

" _God_ , Sophia. I'm so sorry," Cisco murmured, rubbing her back as she clung to him. She was like his little sister, even though they were the same age. To hear that she died in the future was one thing, but to hear this was on a whole new level. "Does Barry know?" Cisco asked her as she broke apart from the hug, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah. He's the one who found me when I was in there," Sophia told him, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "P-please don't tell anyone, I have barely had time to come to terms with it myself, and with everything going on, I doubt Barry has as well. It's just, everything's happening so fast, and I-I don't want everyone to know."

"Of course, I'll take it to my grave," Cisco said, giving her a small smile before realising the poor word choice to which he then grimaced. " _Eh_ , you know what I mean."

"Thanks, Cisco," Sophia said, and he shook his head, giving her another side hug as they walked back to the cortex, ready to get started on their work.

* * *

The phone rang and she tapped her fingers nervously against the table. She had tried calling a few times now over the past day or so and she was yet to receive a reply, and she was beginning to worry.

It wasn't uncommon that she would go days without messaging or calling her father, but one thing she knew was that he always replied or left a message if he couldn't get back to her and she was worried.

It continued to ring through to the dial tone and she pressed the red button, throwing her phone carelessly onto her couch. She had spent the first few hours of the morning at Star Labs, but she needed to come back home to get some perspective, also she had forgotten to leave food and water out for Chewie, and she couldn't let her poor cat suffer. She wasn't sure what to do with herself at this point. They had captured their villain, but they were now presented with an ultimatum, one she knew that Barry wanted to take. It was just too much for her right now and all she wanted was to curl up in a ball, covered in warm blankets and snuggle with her boyfriend.

She leaned against the soft cushions on her couch, Chewie sitting on her lap as she gave her a scratch behind her ears, the cat purring in response. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking time to check in with herself, glad that she had taken some time off work once all this business with Eobard had started. She couldn't imagine working night shift at the hospital, dealing with patients and then this on top of everything else. Her phone started ringing a moment later and she sighed in relief when she saw 'Arthur Lang' pop up on screen with an adorable photo of the two to match. She grabbed the phone, unlocking it and answering it.

"Pa," She breathed out, smiling when she heard him greet her.

"Sophia my sweetheart, I've been busy with work, sorry for avoiding your calls," Arthur apologised through the phone. There had been a lot of troubles at work lately, between suppliers and workers and he had been dedicating most of his time to unravelling the issues.

"Its fine, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, I was worried when you didn't return my calls," Sophia said.

"I'm okay sweetie. Just busy with work," Arthur told her with a heavy sigh. "Things are a bit messy at the moment with finances and I've been working overtime to sort them out."

"Anything I can help with?" Sophia asked. She had worked with her father as a teenager, and she knew the inner workings of the business. Even if she couldn't offer help, she could always offer an ear.

"Why not? It'll be like old times," Arthur laughed and Sophia's face dropped as she realised that soon, it wouldn't be like old times. Everything would change… even though she wouldn't remember it happen as Stein explained, she knew that things would never be the same.

"Sure Pa, I don't mind," Sophia said, trying to sound full of life, putting on a smile and closing her eyes to prevent herself from crying. When she ended the call with him a half hour later, she made sure to tell him that she loved him, and that she would visit him as soon as she could. She missed her father, and with all the crazy going on, she ached for an ounce of normalcy.

* * *

Sophia flew into the cortex, arriving just in time to see Stein shaking his head in worry.

"The calculations. There is a danger." Sophia looked down at her hands when she heard him say this. She knew that Barry was going to go through with this, and that she would support him, but it still didn't stop her from worrying like crazy. He had never done something like this before. What if he got stuck in the past? What if it took him to the wrong time? What if it didn't work? These were all possibilities and it killed her to know that she had no power to change it.

"I know, I'm ready to take the risk," Barry told them. He had thought about it over and over, spoken to both his family, his friends and his girlfriend and he had come to the conclusion that it was something he needed to do. Not for anyone else, but for him.

"No, not just you, but to everyone. Wells didn't tell us everything," Stein said, looking to Caitlin to continue.

"Barry, even if you do reach the right speed, colliding with the hydrogen particle, there is a chance that explosion could create a singularity," Caitlin wringed her hands together.

"What's a singularity?" Joe asked, crossing his arms.

"It's a black hole. We could destroy Central City," Caitlin announced with worried eyes.

"For starters," Stein scoffed lightly. "If we create a singularity here and then cannot control it, we could be looking at a _global_ catastrophe."

"So long and thanks for all the fish," Cisco said, and Sophia looked to him with a _was that really necessary_ look and he promptly shut his mouth.

Barry on the other hand, was not amused by any of this and looked to the computer screen where Eobard was on screen. They had turned the speakers on, so that they could communicate.

"Well, sure, there's a bit of a risk," Eobard said, shrugging his shoulders. He was willing to risk it if it meant that he would be going home.

"Understatement of the year," Sophia muttered to Cisco and he nodded, fist bumping her lightly as they listened to the conversation as it progressed.

"I would hardly refer to possibly causing an extinction-level event as 'a bit of a risk'," Stein said with a frown. It was not something to take lightly.

"Yeah, and your accelerator's been about as reliable as the beater I drove in high school," Joe said with fake laughter.

"Let me ask you a question. How many meta-humans…how many dangers have we faced this year together? Or did you forget that was me fighting alongside each and every one of you? I've been planning this for almost two decades. _It will work_." Eobard was standing by his statement and judging by the look on his face, this was the only option he was going to work with.

"And how do we make sure we don't open a black hole in the middle of Central City? What happens if it loses control and we can't contain it?" Sophia asked. It wasn't just the risks now for Barry and Eobard travelling through it, it was now about the rest of them left behind.

"So, once the wormhole stabilises, Barry will have 1 minute and 52 seconds to alter the past and return to this time. If and when he does that, you can close the wormhole and we can all live happily ever after."

"Almost two minutes. More than enough time to save Nora," Eobard spoke with a knowing grin.

"But not enough time to stop you from going home?" Barry inquired, glaring at Eobard. It had been a part of his plan all along. If Barry wanted the chance to change things, then he would have to let Eobard go.

"Everything's a choice," Eobard spoke ominously.

"And what if I'm late?" Barry finally posed the question that everyone had been thinking, none having the courage to voice it. Barry's eyes moved from Sophia and then back to the Reverse-Flash. Tension hovered in the air as they awaited for the next response, and they were not disappointed as Eobard replied, not leaving them hanging.

"You won't be. I believe in you, Barry. Always have," Eobard said. "So I guess the question is, do your friends and family believe in you as much as I do?"

* * *

 **A / N –**

 **I have decided to be a bit cheeky, and split this last chapter into two separate ones. The reason being that combined it would have been nearly 18,000 words, which is WAY too long for a single chapter.**

 **I also felt this way I was able to give it a bit of a break before the storm finally hit. Please don't smack me.**

 **Sorry for this being a few days late as well. My schedule has been really hectic.**

 **Also, review away and the more reviews the less you have to wait. It means that I will post part 2 of the finale within the next few days rather than a week! So keep them coming!**

 **P.s. I've started writing the sequel and shit it's emotional. More to come about that in the next authors note.**

 **Replies:**

 **Natalie: Season 2 is going to be so much fun to write… that is if I get some more time. I've written the first chapter… but it's still changing. Haven't decided if I want Sophia to be a villain on Earth 2 or not just yet.**

 **RHatch89: Thank you!**

 **xXAlyaIsMyBaeXx: Your Welcome! Hope you liked this chapter. Part 1 of the finale is done. I was going to have it as one chapter, but there's just so much that goes on that it would be a bit too much, so I decided to split it.**

 **Turtlekier42: Thanks! Yeah, hope you enjoyed this one. I'll try and get the second part out in the next few days rather than a week so you guys aren't hanging for too long.**

 **: WHAT! You read all that so fast! It's crazy to think that it can get read so fast when it took so long to write. Thank you so much for leaving a review! Glad that you're enjoying it, and hopefully you guys like the two last chapters.**

 **PrincessMagic: Thank you! Same, that was one of my favourite parts of the episode. I always love writing Leonard Snart interacting with Sophia. Always good fun. Thanks for the review! X**

 **Til next time!**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	29. Sapphire's Sacrifice

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Sophia was lounging in the break room at Star Labs, slowly sipping the coffee she had just brewed. She was in dire need of some comfort food, and so she sat there with her favourite hot beverage, and an entire packet of jelly babies that she knew would give her a stomach ache sooner or later. But it was either that, or fly out to Coast City to grab some of that to die for pizza, that she knew would give her worst indigestion later on.

Her feet were propped up on the table, and she had the coffee in one hand, her jelly babies in the other. The mass of curls on her head were held up in a messy bun, and she ditched her jacket, leaving her in the comfortable tee and jeans, with a pair of converse she had picked up from her house.

That is how Caitlin Snow found Sophia a few minutes later, sitting there in all her glory. Caitlin had laughed at the sight and joined her a moment later, a bright smile on her face. A smile too bright for the circumstances they were currently stuck in. Caitlin grabbed a jelly baby, popping it into her mouth, a skip of cheeriness in her movements that had Sophia looking at her questionably.

"What's with that grin?" Sophia questioned, relishing in the final sip of coffee before placing the empty mug on the table.

"What grin?" Caitlin asked, grinning even more, and Sophia raised her brow as Caitlin just proved her point. Sophia felt weird to witness such a bright sight before her, especially since she had been in a brooding mood all afternoon. She had been in the process of putting together a plan of what would happen once Barry travelled through the wormhole. Since he was going through with it, they knew that he wouldn't be able to stop Eobard, but she would be there. Would she be able to prevent him from travelling back? Would she be powerful enough to stop him of all people? Barry had somehow figured out her thoughts and they had spoken about it briefly, and he had told her not to do anything. He worried not only for her safety but the others. If she wasn't able to stop him once provoked, it could end badly for them all. The only thing holding her back from stopping Eobard from going to the future, was the fact that she was worried about the wellbeing and safety of those around her. If it was just her, she wouldn't give it a second thought before jumping into the line of fire to get rid of Eobard, and it was those dark thoughts that left her in a brooding mood. She wasn't sure if she liked the new side of herself that seemed to be appearing before her.

" _Really_?"

"Okay, don't freak out, but I'm getting married… _today_ ," Caitlin announced and Sophia nearly fell off her seat in shock. She stared at Caitlin with wide eyes and her mouth was agape.

" _What_?!"

"Well, before the Particle Accelerator exploded, Ronnie and I were going to get married. We were engaged, but once he was gone… we didn't get the chance, and now that he's here, and we're together again… we want to do it now," Caitlin said with a breathless smile. Ever since she had discussed it with Ronnie this morning, she felt on cloud nine. She wanted nothing more than to secure their ties, and _finally_ get married.

"Like… _right now_?" Sophia asked, scratching the side of her head.

Caitlin nodded, her lips forming a dreamy smile. "Yes. Stein said that he would hold the ceremony. We don't want to waste another moment."

" _Holy shit_."

"Language," Caitlin teased, and they both broke out into a bout of laughter that Sophia was sure the others would be able to hear from the few levels up. As Sophia watched her friends uncontainable happiness bubble up, she couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She was happy for Caitlin, and out of all of them, she truly deserved a happy ending after losing Ronnie so many times.

" _Wow_. Oh, goodness! Caitlin, I'm so happy for you," Sophia said. "You know what this means? You need a gown, and make-up, and flowers, and we need to get your hair fixed and-," Sophia was cut off as Caitlin covered her mouth to stop her rambling.

"It's all been taken care of, courtesy of Iris West," Caitlin said with a smile. Caitlin had spoken to Iris an hour ago about it, and had already organised a bouquet of white roses, as well as a simple, yet classical white wedding gown for her to wear in such short notice, and Caitlin was ever thankful for Iris's connections.

"So when exactly is this taking place?" Sophia asked. She wanted to change into a nice dress as well, not wanting to go to her friend's wedding wearing jeans and a tee, even if it was short notice. She was sure that a nice sundress would still be practical. She knew that after this they would probably begin their plan to send Barry back in time, and by that point she would be in her super-suit anyway, so it wasn't a big issue.

"In two hours or so. Iris said that between the two of you, I should be ready in time."

"Snow, you are going to be the most beautiful bride. Let's get moving, otherwise you're gonna be fashionably late as well," Sophia teased, taking Caitlin's hand as they rushed out of the room, bubbling with laughter as they focused on something more exciting and full of happiness.

* * *

"Is this actually binding?" Ronnie asked Stein as he stood there nervously in his black jacket and pants. He hadn't bothered finding a suit, knowing that he wouldn't have enough time. He was feeling jittery, but he was sure it was just because he was finally getting to marry the love of his life. He had no regrets, and he knew the only regret he would have is if he didn't go through with this.

"My father made me become a rabbi before he would send me to MIT," Stein explained with a proud smile. "This will be _legit_ as the kids say," Stein professed, and Cisco and Barry let out whoops of laughter, and Ronnie flushed lightly.

"No kids say that," Ronnie told Stein with a look of amusement.

"Let's not fight on our wedding day," Stein joked and that shut Ronnie up. Well at least that's what Stein thought.

Caitlin Snow had just arrived, walking onto the freshly mowed green grass in a white wedding gown, looking like an absolute daydream in the dress. Her eyes were glowing with joy and a bright smile was painted on her luscious pink lips, and Ronnie was sure that he was the luckiest man in the world. Caitlin held the bouquet of orange tulips tightly in her hands out of nervousness, but mainly excitement. She was finally getting the chance to marry her best friend. Her neck was adorned with white pearls, and her hair was curled to perfection, lightly pulled back on one side, framing her face in a way that it glowed when the sunlight hit her skin. Iris and Sophia looked on proud of their work, and happy that their friend looked so beautiful and blissful on her wedding day. They all knew that it wasn't the most ideal situation, and so they tried their very best to make what would be a short ceremony, meaningful and special. But as Sophia watched the two interact, she knew that it didn't take much to make them happy. She recognised the look of love and adoration in their eyes. It was the same look that her father had given her mother once upon a time, and it was the same look that she hoped was conveyed when she looked at Barry.

Sophia moved to stand next to Barry as she watched the heart-warming scene unfold, grasping his hand in her own, intertwining their fingers, giving Barry a sweet smile when he looked down at her next to him. Iris and Eddie were standing on the opposite side of them, standing close together as well, and then Cisco and Joe in the middle whilst they watched on quietly, listening to Stein start the ceremony.

"If it's all right with everyone, I'd like to skip all the Hebrew," Stein started off, eliciting laughter all round. "I've learned a lot about merging one's life with another this past year," Stein said, giving Ronnie a knowing smile. Ronnie returned the gesture before bringing his eyes back to Caitlin, meeting her innocent gaze, his own not wavering for a second as she took his breath away.

"Yet, for all the incredible advancements in science we've all been party to, the mystery that brings two people together through love is still the province of magic," Stein said, and his words caused Sophia to tighten her grip on Barry's hand, leaning her head against his shoulder as they watched the couple in front of them.

"Mr. Ramon, the rings please." Caitlin passed the bouquet to Iris as Cisco quickly moved forward, leaning down on one knee and holding his palms up, the two simple silver rings in his hands. Caitlin took one of the bands, and Ronnie the other, and slowly they slipped them onto each other's fingers.

"I owe you a real ring," Ronnie said, his words almost an apology. Caitlin shook her head with a smile, looking at him earnestly and then around at her friends as she spoke.

"I don't need one. I have everything and everyone that I could ever need, right here. And… if all the events of the past year have led us to this moment, it was worth it. I love you, Ronnie," Caitlin declared and just when Ronnie was sure that his love for Caitlin couldn't grow any larger, it did.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Stein announced, a proud smile on his face as he looked at his partner.

"Stop telling me what to do," Ronnie mumbled at Stein before pulling Caitlin into his arms, and connecting their lips in a sweet kiss. Sealing their vows in a promise that he would love her and cherish her, in life and in death.

Sophia grinned as she watched them, and Iris did a little jump in the air, as they all laughed, congratulating the couple. Sophia looked up at Barry and noticed the tense look on his face and realised that he must have been thinking of Eobard, and what was going to happen next. She placed her hands on his face, and turned his attention towards her, pulling him down for a sweet kiss of her own, knowing they had limited time on their hands.

* * *

"Okay. There are gonna be three _you's_ back there… the you from the future who saved younger you from the Reverse-Flash and now _you_ you," Cisco explained. "Remember, wait until future you gets younger you out of there, and then you can go and save your mom."

"Piece of cake." Barry was clearly lying through his teeth. He had never felt this nervous in his life, and he was trying to focus, and to replicate the feelings and power he had that day he travelled back in time, but the jitters were still there.

"May the Speed Force be with you," Cisco said finally, not wanting to say goodbye properly. He pulled Barry in for a tight hug, closing his eyes as they patted each other on the back before taking a step back.

"Goodbye, _Dad_ ," Barry told Joe with a sad smile, bringing him in for a tight hug. Joe held back tears as he embraced Barry one last time, praying that whatever happened next, that Barry would be happy in the end. That it would be worth it.

"Goodbye, Son."

"Iris," Barry moved onto his best friend, his sister, and the first girl he ever loved. He knew that he didn't feel the same love for her that he now felt for Sophia, but Iris still meant the world to him, just like the rest of his family.

"You don't have to say anything. I already know," Iris said, giving him a smile. "I hope whatever life you get, it's enough for you. That it makes you happy," Iris told him.

Barry nodded, giving her a quick hug before moving on to saying goodbye to Sophia. He had said his goodbyes to the rest of them, including Eddie, before they made their way down here. He had prolonged saying his final goodbye to Sophia for a while now, and he didn't know if he had it in his heart to look into her brown doe eyes and walk away from them, knowing that what he was about to do next would change things forever, including their relationship.

Sophia could sense that Barry was hesitant, and she took the initiative, placing one foot in front of the other until she was standing before him, one hand grasping his, and the other softly caressing the side of his cheek.

" _Barry_ , look at me," Sophia urged in a soft voice as he avoided her gaze. A moment later, his green eyes found hers and he could feel his heart shattering into a thousand pieces. He knew that he should be happy, he was going to save his mother, _finally_ after all this time. But by doing so, he was losing the one thing that he cherished the most.

"It's okay," She told him with a voice as sweet as honey. "You're going to save your mom, and you're going to be happy." Though her voice was smooth, her eyes were like a barren wasteland, and the tears trickled down her cheek like rain dripping down a window on a rainy day. Her lip quivered as he watched her cry and he wiped away her tears, unable to help the few of his own that escaped. "You're gonna have your family back again."

"But I'm not going to have _you_." She closed her eyes as she heard his words. He was doubting himself, and if he continued to do so then he wouldn't succeed in his mission. He needed to believe that it was going to be okay. Just like she was trying to.

"We won't remember that," She reminded him, trying her best to remain composed. "You're going to be happy, Barry."

"No matter what happens, I'll always love you, _only you_ ," Barry spoke softly, his words only travelling to Sophia's ears. She nodded lightly, standing on the tip of her toes and capturing his lips in a slow and sensual kiss, one last final goodbye before he would leave. Before time would change.

"I love you, Barry Allen, no one else, _never_ anyone else," Sophia whispered in his ear as they broke apart from their kiss, now tied up in a warm embrace, savouring every last second their bodies were against each other, knowing that as soon as they moved apart, they would only feel the cold air seeping through the empty space they left behind.

Cisco let out an awkward cough and they broke apart, avoiding the sympathetic gazes of those around them as they moved apart. Barry wiped away a stray tear and Sophia tried her very best not to choke up at the sight, turning her face to focus on Stein who had spoken up.

"Remember, Mr. Allen, assuming you achieve the proper velocity and open the wormhole, you will only have 1 minute and 52 seconds to save your mother and return…or else," The professor warned.

"I know," He breathed out, shaking his hands as he gripped the hood of his suit, pulling it over his head and in place.

"Now… _Run_!"

" _Run Barry_ , run like the wind," Sophia whispered as she watched him go, his body speeding around the particle accelerator, over and over as he built up his speed, moving faster and faster. Her brown eyes followed the bolt of lightning that darted around, watching in awe as she witnessed the pure energy that surrounded him. Her mind flashed back to the first time she had seen him use his powers, and of all of the things in the world, she would have never thought that there would come a day where they would be together, or that time travel would even be possible. She could still remember that day, and how she had thought he looked dashing in the tight red body suit. She remembered the way he had flushed a light pink, and how it had been the beginning of their friendship. She closed her eyes for a moment, a single tear trailing down her cheek as she silently whispered how much she loved him, and how she would miss him.

"The accelerator's structural integrity is holding."

There was a loud booming noise and it brought Sophia out of her stupor. Her watery eyes blinked open, and she turned to Stein to find out what was going on.

"What was that?" Iris spoke up.

"Is Barry okay?" She asked, taking a step forward to look at his form speeding around the accelerator even faster. It was hard to keep up with it, just a flash of light every time he ran by.

"Yeah. He just passed Mach Two."

As Barry ran, sounds and images passed across his vision, from the past, and the future, from other worlds it seemed. He was nervous and he felt like he was on a weird high as he pushed his legs, pumping them back and forth like never before. It almost felt like he was flying, and for the first time since he found out, he felt like it was actually possible. He was going to save his mom.

"Barry, what you're seeing is the Speed Force. Your past, your present, your future, all at once," Eobard explained as though he could sense Barry's thoughts. "So you need to focus on where you want to go. So think about that night, think about your mother."

" _It's working_ ," Barry breathed out, his voice coming out through the comm. He repeated this one more time before it was replaced with static, and suddenly he was gone. He had just disappeared before their very eyes.

Sophia lurched forward, moving closer towards the screen, her heart in her throat and hands clenched into fists as she stood there, scared that he was lost to them. She knew that he had probably made it, going back to the past, but it still sent an uncomfortable shiver down her spine as her eyes focused on the empty spot he had previously been standing in.

"What happened?"

"Barry… he's gone," Sophia whispered, a frown forming on her face. She turned to Eobard, fisting her hand in his shirt as she pulled him closer, a menacing look upon her face. If he just sent Barry to his death, she knew that she would kill him right then and there. No regrets. Energy sparked off her hands, burning bits of Eobard's shirt as she held him in her tight grip.

"Look," Someone spoke but she was too busy focused on Eobard to care. "The wormhole…and it's stable. Start the clock."

"If Barry doesn't make it back home, neither will you," Sophia threatened but Eobard remained silent, straightening out his shirt with not so much as a huff, or a smirk when she let him go.

* * *

Barry's feet suddenly came to a stop as his body was throttled through the portal created. He skidded against the wooden floorboards of his childhood home, to find that he was in his bedroom. He swiftly turned around in the dark room, his eyes trailing over the cluttered desk with textbooks and science diagrams, and comic books and novels with tattered pages. He couldn't believe that he had made it. His hands lingered on the pages of a children's picture book, a picture of a dinosaur on the cover that confirmed that he was in the right place. He almost cracked a smile when he saw the familiar book, and the red and silver robot toy that sat next to it, but he was brought out of his stupor with a piercing scream.

It was then he heard his younger self screaming out for his mother as she lay on the ground, the red and yellow lightning battling it out around her, preventing her from escaping. He ran down quickly, watching in silence. He hid behind the wooden door, peering in lightly as he waited for them to move. He knew that he had to wait for his future self to save his younger self before he could interfere, otherwise he would risk changing too much.

But as he stood there, ready to go in, ready to do what he had waited for so long, he saw the future Flash stop in the corner of the other room, sparing a glance at him directly and shaking his head, holding a hand out to stop him. In that moment his heart shattered as he realised what his future self was trying to say.

 _You can't save her._

 _You can't change things._

 _You can't stop this from happening._

He held his breath as the panic spiked in his chest. He closed the door, the tears streaming down as he listened to his mother's painful cries and please as she begged for her life. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for the Reverse Flash, to run out of the Allen household, leaving Nora bleeding out in the middle of the room, with a stab wound to her chest, and no one around.

Fairly certain that the coast was clear, he slowly opened the wooden door, to see his father sprawled on the ground unconscious, and his mother writhing in pain, rolling over with loud groans. He kneeled down next to her, still in his suit, placing his hands on her arms in an attempt to comfort her.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay, _you're okay_ ," Barry whispered out to her, unable to process what was happening. He was struggling to maintain coherent thoughts as he watched his mother die in front of him. He kept one hand on her arm, the other smoothing down her hair in a soft and loving motion.

"My husband, _my_ _son_ ," Nora whimpered, the tears spilling onto her cheeks, finding it harder to breath as dark patches of blood seeped through her white shirt. She could feel death coming, and she knew it wouldn't be long til she was gone. She just wanted the two people she loved the most to be safe. She didn't care about anything else.

"They're okay, they're both safe. I promise," He told her.

"Who are you?" She asked, looking up at her saviour.

"I'm… I'm The Flash," He whispered, unsure of what to say, his cheeks visibly wet from his tears.

"I don't understand," Nora panted, blinking her eyes rapidly, her vision starting to blur. Barry let out another sob, lifting his mask over his face, as he looked at Nora, her eyes narrowing in on him in light confusion.

"You look just like my father," Nora whispered with wide eyes, as she studied the masked man's face. Her tears stopped for a moment even though she was suffering through incredible pain. It was like he had numbed it, just by looking at her with those big green eyes. Eyes that she had sworn she had seen before in her life.

"This won't make any sense, but _it's me_ , Mom," Barry laughed and cried all at the same time. "It's Barry," He told her, his eyes crinkling as he blinked back the ugly tears that were threatening to blur his vision.

"Barry?" She asked, and her face softened after a moment.

" _Your_ Barry."

"Oh, my beautiful boy," She gave him a smile, crying out as she did so, bringing her hands up to cup his face, her thumb wiping away his tears. However this had happened she didn't know, but she thanked the universe that it did. She had gotten one last chance to see her son, and grown up at that.

"I got a second chance to come back here and…" He paused, sniffling mid-sentence as he tried to find the words to say. "Tell you that I'm okay. Dad and I are both okay. And we love you, _Mom_."

" _I love you_ ," He choked out, closing his eyes as he held back his anguished sobs.

Nora nodded, continuing to rub his face as he cried whispering his goodbye, his eyes fluttering open to watch her take her last breaths.

"I love you," She gasped. "Oh, my sweet boy. Bye. Goodbye, Barry," Her voice trailed off, her head lolling to the side as her eyes remained open, the life slowly draining from them as her heart beat for the last time.

Barry felt as though someone had ripped his own heart from his chest in that moment as he watched his mother die in his arms. He held her close to his body, leaning his head against her blood stained chest as he wept repeating her name over and over, the word _mom_ passing his lips in a murmur, a prayer, and a plea as he wished with all his might that things would be different. And he held onto her one last time, cherishing the last moment he would have with her.

" _I love you_."

* * *

Clad in her leather blue suit, Sophia stood by Cisco's side as he prepped the time travel device with Ronnie, ready to send Eobard Thawne off and into the future. The illuminating portal was still open before them and Sophia's eyes were drawn to it, like a magnet. She wasn't sure if it was out of curiosity, or worry for Barry's safety. She wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen next. If he saved his mother, would things cease to exist as they were now, would they immediately forget the events? If he failed, would he return and things go back to normal?

The clock beeped, indicating that the time was up. It was time to send this _imposter_ back to his timeline in the future.

"I believe it is time to say good-bye to Harrison Wells," Stein said, his voice travelling throughout the comm. Standing in the cortex, was Ronnie, Caitlin, Stein, Eddie and Iris, whilst Cisco, Joe and Sophia remained downstairs to see Eobard off into the future.

"It's beautiful," Eobard breathed out as he looked at the machine that Ronnie and Cisco had whipped up so quickly. "Rip Hunter would be impressed. He built the first one of these. Interesting man," Eobard commented, as he continued to admire the vehicle. A moment later, a metal hat with two lightning bolts on either side flew out of the portal, landing with a clang on the floor of the Particle Accelerator. Joe frowned as he looked at it, still keeping his gun pointed at Eobard, even though Sophia was standing there, and on guard.

"Now what the hell is that?" Joe asked with a frown.

" _That's_ my cue to leave," Eobard said, taking a step forward to Cisco. "Thank you, Cisco," He said, mustering up as much authenticity as he could. Without Cisco Ramon, he would be stranded here for much longer than he would have preferred.

"Don't ever come back," Cisco said coldly, avoiding his gaze. He didn't want his thanks.

Eobard spared one last glance at Joe and Sophia before moving to take a seat inside the machine, pressing the button, the circular glass closing in a single motion, as he took control over the vehicle, turning it around as they waited for the final countdown before he could venture off into the portal and return home.

"Home," Eobard whispered to himself, a sliver of hope in his voice as he thought about returning to his future.

Sophia's fist clenched in her hand, she watched on, hoping that he would never return.

Then suddenly, something that neither party expected happened. Barry came barrelling through the portal, a flash of red as he held his right fist out in front of him, his body like a bullet as he shot through, heading straight for Eobard in the time machine, smashing the window to pieces upon contact with his fist, taking Eobard down with him as they rolled around in the shards of glass.

The shear momentum built up was enough to send the others crashing to the ground. Sophia was quick enough to throw up a shield of cobalt to protect them from the shards of glass, but the damage had been done and it was enough force to send them toppling over, leaving Cisco and Joe in and out of consciousness as their heads crashed against the ground.

"We have to shut down the wormhole, quickly!" Stein exclaimed in the cortex, sending Caitlin and Ronnie running down the hallways as fast as they could in an attempt to manually override the power to the Particle Accelerator.

Sophia released the shield as she quickly flew over to Barry helping him up from his position on the floor. He groaned in pain as she put her arms underneath his to support him, her head twisting over to look at Eobard as he too was struggling to get up.

"You didn't save her," Eobard whispered in realisation, his eyes hardening into a glare. "Why? Why!" He shouted. "You could have had the life you wanted. You could have had everything you _ever wanted_!"

"I already do," Barry breathed out, his eyes moving to meet Sophia's with a soft smile. She returned it giving him a nod as he stood up straight, both of them turning to face the Reverse-Flash. Eobard pulled the hood over his head, his body vibrating and his eyes flashing red, his voice gravelly and frightening as it came out next.

"Not for long."

The two ran at each other, ready for a fight.

Red and Yellow lightning battled against each other for dominance, moving like bullets in the air from one spot to another. Sophia was finding it impossible to keep up with them. She pressed her ear onto the comm. watching them rush around as she tried to make sure that the wormhole would at least be turned off. This portal needed to be closed before something bad happened.

"Cut the internal generators!"

"Ten seconds, hurry," Stein urged.

"Is it off?"

"You did it," Sophia breathed out as she watched the blue wormhole close with her own eyes. A second later, Barry and Eobard came crashing to the ground in front of her, and she didn't waste a second in hitting Eobard with as much force and power as she could muster. He groaned, but took the hit with ease before throwing speed punches at her, and then a powerful kick at her knees, too fast for her to see coming, leaving her heaving on the ground, distracted momentarily, giving him enough time to twist her left arm behind her back, cracking it in place, leaving Sophia screaming out in agony as he broke the bones in her arm. Amidst the pain she had enough energy to throw one last blast of blue at his back, scorching the yellow suit and distracting him long enough for Barry to move.

Barry bolted, his body tumbling into Eobard as they fought against each other, against the wall, and Eobard had gotten the upper hand. His fist connected with Barry's jaw multiple times as he slumped against it, blood trickling down his lips from where they had split, his hood slipping off his face. Eobard phased his hand in the air, his voice growling as he spoke.

"Just so we're clear, after I kill you, I'm going to kill them," The Reverse-Flash spoke, his arm moving over to point at the others, and Sophia who lay on the floor gasping in pain, "And then I'm going to kill your girlfriend, and your father. I always win, _Flash_." He brought his hand down towards Barry's chest, inches away from slaughtering him when a gun-shot rang out in the distance, stopping Eobard mid-way in his violent action.

Sophia turned her head on the floor, ignoring the pain as she looked over to her right with wide eyes. Standing in the middle of the room was Eddie, her friend- _their friend_ Eddie. Iris's fiancé Eddie. Joe's partner Eddie.

Eddie with a bloodied shirt.

The gun in his hand dropped to the ground painfully slow, leaving a deadly echo in the room. It was then she let out a piercing scream in Eddie's direction as she watched him collapse onto the ground.

" _No!_ "

Eddie had shot himself in the chest, he had sacrificed his life to stop Eobard. Without Eddie's bloodline, Eobard would be no more. Sophia used everything in her power to push herself up from her position on the floor, clutching her left arm with her right as she stood up, her back slightly hunched as she took in deep breaths watching the scene unfold before her. She wanted nothing more than to just go over there and help him, heal him, but she knew that no matter how hard she pressed on the wound to keep it from bleeding, no matter how hard any of them would try…they wouldn't be able to save him.

"Eddie! _What did you do_?!" Joe's voice bellowed out as he ran over to Eddie who had just collapsed onto his knees on the other side of the room. Cisco watched with wide eyes, unsure of what do to and Sophia achingly moved forward, her throat closing up at the sight.

"No such things are coincidence," Eddie gasped out with a painful smile.

The Reverse-Flash stumbled backwards, his body almost gasping, moving in and out of phasing before becoming stagnant.

"What's happening? Cisco, help me." Eobard's words were desperate as they left his mouth as he gasped for breath.

"Eddie's his ancestor. If Eddie dies, he'll never be born, and… He's being erased from existence," Cisco explained with a strained voice as his eyes drifted over to the Reverse-Flash who was struggling to remain composed, now standing on two knees.

"No, no! Eddie. Eddie, no, no. Stay with me, okay? Stay," Iris pleaded, running into the room with tears streaming down her face. She fell to her knees in an instant, cradling Eddie in her arms, bringing his head into her lap as she cried.

"He was wrong, it turns out," Eddie whispered to Iris, his eyes focused on her face, taking in her beauty one last time. Because if the last thing he saw was the eyes of his love, then he would go in peace. "I'm a hero after all."

"You are, Eddie. _You are my hero_."

"That's all I ever wanted to be. Your hero," Eddie breathed out his last words, his body numb and still after they drifted off his lips.

"No!" Iris cried, yelling out for her lover, clutching his shirt as she sobbed against the warm blood stain splattered across his chest.

Barry almost broke then and there, knowing how it felt. He had just done the same thing with his mother only a mere few minutes ago and he was sure that once this was all over, it would take a lot to build themselves back up. Heavy and laboured breaths left his body, blood trickling down his split lip as he turned to look at the Reverse-Flash's end.

"I've controlled your life for so long, Barry. How will you get along without me?" Eobard asked, shocking Barry as he looked at a face different to that of Wells. The true face of the villain he had faced all this time. Eobard's body then started to disintegrate into the air, the particles and atoms disappearing piece by piece until there was nothing left of the Eobard Thawne.

Sophia stumbled over to Barry, clutching her arm to her chest, hot tears trickling down her face at the sight of her dead friend. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking it was all over. That it was finally all over, but there was an explosive booming noise and the wormhole had opened up again, the bright blue light shooting into the particle accelerator, this time sucking things in with it. Pieces of debris and glass were moving with it and they panicked, all running to move out of there.

"What's happening?" Sophia yelled over the noise.

"Iris, we have to go," Barry told Iris, and Joe pulled her by her shoulder as she clung to Eddie's dead body, not wanting to let go.

"I'm not leaving him," Iris said adamantly, the tears staining her cheeks.

"We have to go now, honey. I'm sorry."

"We have to go." Sophia moved flying out of there as Barry ran, picking Cisco up and taking him outside, then coming back for Joe and Iris, unfortunately having to leave Eddie behind. There just wasn't enough time.

They all moved outside the front doors of Star Labs, rushing to see what was happening. It was certainly hard to miss it.

A great stormy cloud of grey and blue was forming in the sky, like a large tornado of sorts, sucking everything from the ground up into it like it was a vacuum. It was a terrifying sight to behold. Witnessing the energy that it wielded alone was beyond anything Sophia had seen before, and she wondered how the hell they were going to get themselves out of this one. She thought back to the first time that Barry had unravelled a tornado, and compared it to this, and in a second flat she knew that they weren't all going to make it out alive.

"So that's what we didn't want to happen," Cisco breathed out, admiring the sight above with both excitement and fear.

"What's it doing?" Caitlin yelled over all the chaos.

"Feeding," Stein spoke. "A singularity won't stop, not even after the earth is gone."

Chaos erupted on the streets of Central City. Citizens running for their lives as they watched the dangerous cloud in the sky suck up everything in sight. From cars, to parts of buildings and people, the singularity was relentless. People screamed in the distance as they fled for safety.

"I'm afraid the accretion disc has already assembled."

"What?" Joe asked, turning to look at Stein.

"The diffuse material that's in orbital motion around the singularity."

"What does that mean?"

"We have to disrupt the motion."

"Basically, it's just like the tornado, only upside down. And bigger. And scarier," Barry said, Sophia's chest heaving as she saw the crazy look in his eye.

"Barry, that event has an energy level of at least 6.7 Tera Electron Volts."

"It cannot be stopped," Stein reiterated, watching Barry with a careful eye.

"I have to try," Barry said, throwing his hood on. He cast a final look at his friends, his eyes darting to Sophia one last time, and even though he didn't utter the words she could tell he was saying goodbye. He was saying _I love you_. His eyes trailed with yellow lightning as he bolted out into the middle of the city, his body speeding up the side of a building and into the wormhole of destruction.

" _No, Barry_!" Sophia cried out, taking a step forward and gasping in pain as she arm moved the slightest, leaving a trail of fire rushing through her side. Cisco caught her just as she was about to fall. "Oh god," She cried out in a silent whisper.

Barry ran as fast as he could, generating up as much electricity and speed force as possible, running head on into the singularity in an attempt to close it. He thought back to the first time he had ever used his powers to stop someone. Back to the eldest Mardon brother, and how he had stopped his tornado from destroying Central City. He applied the same motions, running around anti-clockwise as fast as he could in an attempt to destabilise the singularity and close it. He then thought of his mother, of his father, of Sophia, of Joe and Iris, of all his family and friends. He was doing this for them.

"Brilliant!" Stein exclaimed as he watched from down below, the singularity was getting smaller. "He's contained the singularity by adding to its angular momentum!"

"Barry, it's stabilising! Keep doing what you're doing."

"I'm not sure how much longer I can," He spoke, his words slightly fuzzy as they came through the comm. "Cisco! What now?!"

"We have to merge the inner and outer event horizons," Stein ordered.

"How do we do that?" Ronnie asked, brushing the hair out of his eyes as the wind whipped around him.

"By separating in the eye of it. The amount of energy from the fissure should do the trick," Stein said and something clicked inside of Ronnie. He turned to look at Caitlin with sad eyes. "It's out only hope Ronald."

"Ronnie, _no_! It's too dangerous. What if you can't escape the inrush?" Caitlin pleaded. She couldn't lose him. _Not again_.

"He'll escape it," Sophia spoke up with a pained voice and everyone turned their attention to her. "Because I'll be there too. If I expel enough energy to match his it should be enough to close it and get us out of there without the risk of getting stuck," Sophia said, taking a step forward, moving out of Cisco's supportive stance. She had no idea if it would work, but she knew that she couldn't stand there and let Ronnie and Stein go in alone. They were both married, they both had someone to come back to, and Sophia certainly wasn't going to leave Barry to the singularity all alone. He was her love, he was her life and she wasn't going to let him do it alone.

She was going to stand by him, like she had promised.

"Caitlin, we have to try," Ronnie spoke, looking over at Stein and Sophia who nodded. Ronnie gave Caitlin one final kiss before walking over to Stein, merging into Firestorm.

Sophia didn't waste a second, and she shot into the sky, her cape billowing behind her, her hair flowing in the wind as her eyes glowed in determination. She was going to stop the singularity with them both. She kept her left arm pressed to her chest, her right extended out in front of her as her body flew out into the sky, moving into the singularity as fast as she could. She was beyond petrified as her body moved up into the sky, manoeuvring as best as she could to doge the flying debris that were being sucked up by the singularity.

Firestorm was not far behind, and they both found their way into the middle of the singularity, and she prepared herself for what would happen next. Her eyes found Barry in the midst of all the chaos and she saw his lips take shape, screaming out into the void as he watched her with wide eyes. The sheer panic running through his body at the sight of her up there, knowing what she was about to do had his heart erupting in his chest, his breath heavy as he reached out towards her. She shook her head, and mustered the bravest smile she could, a tear escaping as she watched Barry's stricken expression. She took in a deep breath, taking one last moment to think about her mother, her father, how much she loved them, and finally Barry, how dearly she loved him. She was ready for this moment. Somehow she had been prepared for the sacrifice. She turned her head to look at Ronnie with a nod, and both closed their eyes, extending out their arms, Sophia crying out in pain as she did so and both expelling as much energy and power as they could.

Sophia could feel the cobalt energy travelling through her veins, igniting a fire within her. The azures power erupted from all parts of her body, shooting out from her fingertips, her toes, and her eyes, glowing almost as bright as the Particle Accelerator when it exploded.

Firestorm wasn't any different. His breath and body were burnt orange and yellow fire, popping in the air, burning brighter than the sun as they waged a war of flames licking the air, enough to work in tandem with Sapphire to disrupt the core of the singularity.

Though three bodies had expelled power that day to close the singularity, only one would return.

Only one body made it out.

Only one body fell to the ground, crashing through the sky at an alarming rate.

Only one body was caught by Barry Allen, and brought to the ground as he gasped in fear, his friends and family surrounding him down below, rushing over to see what had happened. As Barry ripped the mask off his suit, turning on the spot with heavy breaths, his eyes recognised the person sitting next to him.

And that person wasn't Sophia Lang.

* * *

 **A / N – (internal screaming) THAT'S IT.**

 **THE END.**

 **LAST CHAPTER.**

 **Please don't kill me. *scratches back of neck awkwardly* I guess ya'll have to see if she's dead or not in the sequel. *nervous laughter* Ha ha ha ha… (Please, please, don't forget to leave a review letting me know not only what you thought of this chapter, but the story as a whole, after all it is the last one. Also be sure to leave any recommendations or mentions of things you would like to see in the sequel so I can make sure to include as much as I can!)**

 **Alright, let's be real. It seems like she's dead, but honestly, there wouldn't be able to be a sequel without the main character, am I right ladies & gents? So don't worry too much. **

**I think I cried about ten times whilst writing this chapter. Just because this episode is so damn emotional, and re-watching the episode with Barry and his mom just had me so emotionally compromised. NOT to mention that the last few episodes of season 2 of The Flash have also been so damn emotional. This show really knows how to tear us apart. – Please, don't post spoilers in the reviews, I know that some people aren't up to date yet.**

 **I can't believe that this is the last chapter of Fight or Flight. I've been putting it off for so long because it just feels weird to be finishing it, and in no way did I ever imagine that I would write so much. This story has exceeded my expectations and I have every single one of you to thank for that. For your support in following, and most importantly in reviewing. Your reviews motivated me to keep going and I couldn't have done it without every single one of you.**

 **Don't forget to go follow NEW ROMANTICS on my page, it's the AU one-shot spin off of this series, where I will be posting one-shots to keep you occupied while I take my time to get my head around the sequel. So make sure to go there for all your Sarry needs whilst the sequel is being written.**

 **I plan on writing at least the first 10 chapters before I start posting, like I did with this story. That was the only way I was able to achieve the regular weekly posts, otherwise I would have had like one chapter out and then another a month later. It takes a lot of time and effort to get such large content out and so I want to take my time with it and try my best to make it better than the first instalment of the Sapphire series. So hang in there!**

 **The sequel will be called** _ **Sapphirus Tempestasis**_ **which is Latin for Sapphire Storm. Shout out to Shadowhunters12 for helping me choose the name for the sequel. I thought long and hard about it and figured this was the way to go. Shadowhunters12 you be the real MVP!**

 **Thank you for all the love and support for this story, and I can't wait to see you all join the sequel. I'll definitely be posting an author's note when that comes out on this story to all let you know that it's up. But yeah, keep an eye out for it.**

 **I can't believe that this story has reached so many of you, and I love the fact that so many of you are enjoying it, it really warms my heart, and it makes me feel like I'm doing this for a reason. It's hard to dedicate a lot of my time into writing these stories when I'm doing it on my own time, and for free, so to hear that its touched so many people really makes it worth it.**

 **So again, a big thank you to everyone who has supported this story from day one and all the way up until now. I look forward to seeing you all soon.**

 **Replies:**

 **WXCKED is good: Hope you enjoyed this part of the finale. I've sort of decided on what I'll be having Sophia as on Earth 2, but I don't want to give it all away, but it is exciting for sure and we definitely see a different side of her character! Thank you so much for the review, and all of your support throughout this story! X**

 **Turtlekier42: I laughed way too hard when I saw your review. Yay for this three day update! Thank you again for all of your love and support, I hope that you enjoyed this one.**

 **Yen: I cried when I wrote this and I hope this chapter didn't make too many of you cry. Lots of angsty scenes for sure. I am so excited to share the sequel with you all. I just need to write it, ahaha. Thank you for the review.**

 **RHatch89: Awesome review. ;) Hope you loved this one, and thank you for all your support.**

 **Takara Matsudaira: AHA, THANK YOU FOR THIS. I took part of your suggestion into consideration and that actually helped me figure out what I wanted to do with Sophia. It's not going to be the same as her on E1 for sure, and I'm going to play around with her character and her characters relationship with Barry. It's going to be heartbreaking for sure, but its good fun. Thank you for the lovely review!**

 **xXAlyaIsMyBaeXx: Hope you enjoyed this part of the finale! I know that I'll probably get hit by a lot of you because of the cliffhanger but idc I enjoyed it. Thanks for the review! Excited to hear your thoughts.**

 **AmyRoxx123: I was even sneakier this chapter wasn't I? Sorry I put you guys through all that emotional pain last chapter, only to then post this and then probably send you through some more of that. I'll probably be posting a fluff piece on the AU series New Romantics in a few days just to make it up to you guys. :P**

 **Guest: Glad that you enjoyed it. Really hope that you like part two of the finale. Yeah, I'm really leaning towards Barry and Sophia not being in a relationship on E2, or at least showcasing it in a way that we wouldn't expect and a way that's different to Sophia and Barry on E1. Yeah, I already killed her too much as you can all see. :') Thank you so much for the review, it honestly means the world.**

 **Til next time my friends.**

 **Heroherondale.**


	30. Epilogue

Epilogue

Numb was a good way to describe how Barry felt these days.

Distressed was another.

But still, these two words could never do justice in conveying or even understanding the raw pain and anguish that was inflicted upon Barry's heart as the days trickled on by, leaving him stuck in the past.

He watched the love of his life die before his eyes. Whenever his eyelids fluttered closed, the violent images flashed across his vision, leaving him desperate for a sliver of peace as he was throttled with the feeling of losing her once again. He could still see her angelic face as she gave him a brave smile, flying up into the grand singularity like the extraordinary hero she was, exploding into a thousand loose frays of cobalt energy as she saved them.

The worst part of it all was that there was no body to bury.

Putting an empty casket into the ground served more painful than anything else because there was no closure. He wondered if she was still alive. Was she still out there in the city somewhere, just lost? Or had she been sucked up by the portal, sent to another timeline or world? Or had she just died. Had her body just burst as she expelled the energy, incinerated into ashes as the singularity collapsed in on itself? These were questions that wracked his mind most of the time. At least when the feeling of dread and loneliness didn't cling to him. He hadn't wanted to go to the funeral, just like how he never went to visit his mother's grave. Seeing her stone there, it would make it real, so very real and he wasn't ready for that. But he knew, deep down in his heart that if he didn't, he would regret it.

He wished, oh he wished he could drown his sorrows in alcohol. But no matter how much he drank, nothing would happen. So he spent his time beating up criminals, running solo as he did his very best to repair the city he loved, hoping that this would distract him from the emptiness he felt inside, as though his acts of bravery and justice would make up for his failure, his failure to keep her safe.

Weeks had passed and Barry found that he could not sleep. It evaded him like the plague and he was desperate for the darkness and release that it brought. Every time he closed his eyes he saw his love. He saw her face, her brown eyes staring back at him as though she hadn't left at all. She was always smiling, and she looked at peace and that haunted him more than anything. Every time he rolled over in bed, he could feel the spot where she was missing, leaving cold sheets in her place. So he started a destructive cycle of not sleeping until it took a toll on his body to the point where he would wait until he collapsed to allow his body to finally having a chance to catch up with him.

This went on for the next month until Joe had snapped him out of it. He had ignored all the messages and calls from his friends, knowing that they would be safer if he wasn't a part of their lives. He hadn't even had time to properly mourn Eddie and Ronnie's deaths because he was too busy grieving Sophia. It was his fault that she was gone. It was his fault that Arthur Lang lost his daughter, that Anna lost her best friend. It was _his_ fault. Joe tried to tell him that it wasn't, but he knew that Barry was still going to blame himself, and he could only hope that with time, his wounds would heal. Joe could see the dark circles under Barry's eyes and the way that he looked so distracted and uneasy constantly. He knew that it was a part of the mourning phase, but when it was starting to destroy him, Joe couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

Joe spoke to Barry and held the boy who was just as much his son, as Iris was his daughter. He comforted him, holding onto him as he released his tears, his sobs and his frustrations. Joe kept holding onto Barry as he let out cries for Sophia to come back, for the universe to take him instead, and it broke his heart to see Barry this way.

Barry felt utterly raw, and he didn't know what to do to fix it. He just wanted Sophia to come back and put the broken pieces of him together again, to make him whole. He had felt this way after his mother had died, and for a long time it haunted him, and now he was terrified that he would never be whole again.

He didn't know why or how but he had found himself sitting atop the roof of Star Labs in the same spot that he usually came with Sophia. Looking out at the beautiful orange sun setting over the city, leaving hues of pink and blue blended into a gorgeous purple across the sky. Sitting here was like a breath of fresh air. He felt closer to her up here in the sky… well at least as high up as he could get.

"You saved this city. It's only this beautiful because of you," Barry whispered aloud even though he was alone. But that was the thing. Up here, sitting in _their_ spot, he didn't feel alone. It felt like she was sitting right by his side.

He closed his eyes and for the first time in a long time, he let himself smile. He could picture the way her lips curved into a cheeky grin, her hair billowing in the wind as she flew in the sky, the way she scrunched her nose when she let out the smallest of sneezes.

"I-I love you, so much." He could hear his own voice cracking, but he continued. "I never thought I would be this lost without you. I'm sorry for not keeping my promise. I told you I would protect you, but I failed, and _I'm so sorry, Sophia_."

He took a few deep shaky breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, not wanting to have a panic attack up on the roof of Star Labs, and all alone at that, but he couldn't help the stray tear that trickled down his cheek.

"Wherever you are, if you really are gone or just lost. I want you to know that I will always love you, and in the end, I know that we'll always come back to each other, just like you said my love. _Always and forever._ "

* * *

 **Well if that isn't depressing AF then I have no idea what is.**

 **I wasn't going to post an epilogue, because I felt that it might take away from the drama and angst of the first chapter of the sequel, especially with how Barry feels about all of this, but I figured, what the hell. Let's just throw this out there.**

 **Plus we get into more detail of his mourning in the sequel, especially with how he interacts with other characters post-singularity. So this doesn't give away a lot, it's more of just Barry's thoughts and feelings after mourning her.**

 **The sequel is in the process of being written, the first 5 chapters are done and I need to get a few more written before I start posting, otherwise updates won't be regular. But I will be posting a authors note on this story once the sequel is ready to go up so you all know, so don't forget to follow.**

 **Leave a review of your thoughts/feelings etc. I loved the responses to the finale, it made me smile so much.**

 **Much love.**

 **Heroherondale.**


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